


The Truth About Cats, Dogs and Penguins

by Hils



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-22 05:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 23,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8274358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hils/pseuds/Hils
Summary: Geno wasn't exactly looking for love, but these things are out of your hands when you're friends with Alexander Ovechkin.Sidney wasn't exactly looking for love either, but it's hard to tell that to a bunch of meddling French-Canadians.Or the one where Geno runs an animals shelter, Sid tries online dating under a fake name, and romance happens.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at hockey RPF and I wouldn't be here without the endless support of 17pansies and soshhy who were my cheerleaders throughout this project.
> 
> Many thanks, also, to 17pansies and everbright-morning for the beta work. Any remaining errors are my own.

There were a lot of ways Geno imagined spending his birthday. Drinking in a bar with Alexander Ovechkin hadn’t even been a consideration. Geno’s plans had mostly involved some nice food at a Russian restaurant and an early night. His mistake had been mentioning this to Sasha who had made outraged noises and booked a flight to Pittsburgh while they were still on the phone. Geno had protested but Sasha had insisted and Geno knows by now that arguing with him is a futile gesture. 

He’s still not entirely sure how he went from helping Sasha choose a dog (which in itself is weird considering Sasha lives in Washington during the season and Russia during the off-season) to them being drinking buddies whenever Sasha is in town. Sasha had claimed it was because they were kindred spirits on account of them both being from Russia and that had been the end of it. 

“You work much too hard,” Sasha tells tells Geno when they’re several shots into their night out. “Spending all your time with animals is not good for you. When was the last time you got laid?”

Geno refuses to dignify that with an answer, because it’s none of Sasha’s business and certainly not because it’s been so long that he can’t even remember. 

Apparently he doesn’t need to answer though, because Sasha just gives him a pitying look and another shot of whatever it is they’re drinking. Geno’s sort of lost track. 

“You need to get out there. Find the man of your dreams before you die a sad and lonely old man.”

Geno snorts. ‘It’s not as easy as you make it sound, you know. Not all of us are famous hockey stars with months off over the summer to go looking for true love. It’s hard enough to take time to come out drinking with you, never mind going on a date with someone. Who am I going to meet, anyway? Most of the people who come into the shelter are families or couples.”

Sasha makes a frustrated noise. “You need a hobby or something, then. You’re young, relatively good looking, Russian. Not as good looking as me, of course, but reasonable enough. There are plenty of eligible men in this city. We just need to find you one.”

Geno shakes his head. “You know, I’m starting to worry about how invested in my love life you are.”

“I am simply looking out for my fellow countryman. If you die sad and alone, you are not only letting me down but Russia too.”

Geno is pretty sure Russia as a nation doesn't care whether he dates anyone or not but he nods his head indulgently.

“Fine, for the sake of Mother Russia, I will try and find someone to date.”

Sasha grins and Geno instantly feels nervous as he realises he’s been steered towards something very specific without even realising it. He’s reminded, randomly, of a photo he’d seen once of Sasha with a lion skin draped over his shoulders. Too late Geno realises that he’s the lion and Sasha the hunter. 

“I got you a birthday present,” Sasha says as he reaches into his jacket pocket. 

Geno’s nervousness fades into curiosity when Sasha produces not some sort of bizarre sex toy but an envelope with he passes to Geno still with that wicked grin on his face. 

“Open it!” Sasha says when Geno hesitates. 

Carefully Geno tears the envelope, half scared something is going to burst out of it. Nothing explodes, though, and all he finds inside is a piece of paper. 

He slides it out, reads it, blinks and reads it again. 

It’s a profile from a dating website. More specifically it’s _his_ profile from a dating website that he had most definitely not signed up for. 

Sasha beams at him and Geno’s heart sinks. 

“Sasha, please tell me you didn’t.”

“I did,” Sasha crows. “It’s the best present! All you need to do is log in and there will be lots of messages from many eligible bachelors in Pittsburgh. There’s bound to be at least one looking for a tall Russian who loves animals.”

Geno groans. 

“You can thank me later,” Sasha says as he passes Geno a shot glass. “For now we drink. Happy Birthday, Zhenya.”

Geno knocks the drink back because right now there’s nothing else he can do. 

***

It’s late when Geno gets home, or possibly early. He sort of lost track at around the same time he lost track of how many drinks he’d had. He still doesn't know what the hell that drink was that Sasha had insisted they _had_ to try. It tasted like cough syrup and the flavor is still lingering in his mouth. 

His small apartment feels so quiet after the crowded bars they’d been in for the past few hours, and he tries not to dwell on Sasha’s insistence that he’s lonely as he pours himself a glass of water and collapses onto his couch. He’s not lonely. He’s fine. And even if he was lonely, he certainly doesn’t need a dating website to help him find someone. 

He shrugs out of his suit jacket and tosses it across the room with the intention of hanging it up later. It lands in a puddle on the floor and the piece of paper that had been in his pocket flutters out and settles near Geno’s feet.

A more superstitious person might say it’s a sign, that the universe is trying to tell him something. Geno is not superstitious but he picks up the piece of paper and reads it again. At least Sasha chose a decent photo of him, and none of the information is incorrect. Geno suspects that Sasha is exactly the sort of person who would lie on a dating website. 

Still, and it’s probably the alcohol talking, Geno is curious about what sort of responses he might have waiting for him. The date on the profile indicates it’s been live for well over a week. Would it do any harm to look?

He can almost hear Sasha’s victory cry as he pulls over his laptop and browses to the site. He logs in using the details Sasha has provided and the first thing he does is change the password. The last thing he needs is Sasha prying or making changes to his profile.

Once the password has been changed he checks his messages. There’s 50 messages in Geno’s inbox and he honestly has no idea how to react to that. He knows he should go to bed if he wants to be in any sort of state to manage the shelter but curiosity gets the best of him and he starts looking through them. 

Most of them start with variations of ‘Hello Big Boy’ or other comments about his height relating to the size of his dick and those all get deleted without a second thought. In fact there ends up only being a couple that have him remotely interested.

_Dear Evgeni_

_I hope it’s okay that I get in touch. It looks like we have a lot in common and I’d like to get to know you better. I see from your profile that you like fishing. I don’t get a lot of time for fishing but I grew up near a lake and I used to go sometimes. What kind of sports do you like?_

_I look forward to hearing back from you._

_Yours sincerely  
Sam_

The message is oddly formal but Geno finds himself thinking it’s sort of charming. He keeps that one and decides to sleep on it. If he’s still interested in the morning maybe he’ll reply. 

Maybe. 

***

Three days. 

It’s been three days since Sid finally caved and sent a message to the cute Russian guy Flower had found for him on a dating site. He’s thankful he hasn’t had a reply, really. At least now he can say he tried and it hadn’t gone anywhere. That should hopefully be enough to get Flower and his French-Canadian cohorts off his back. 

There’s only so many pitying looks he can stand every time he gets asked if he’s had a reply to the message yet and has to say no. Eventually they’ll let it drop. He hopes. 

He should be relieved. He only signed up to that dating site (under a fake name because he’s not stupid) to shut Flower up. Except now he feels something close to disappointment that he hasn’t had a response. It’s stupid. He doesn’t know this guy. He happened to hover over Evgeni’s profile for a second longer than any of the others because who wouldn’t be interested in a tall, good looking man who loves animals? But that had been enough. Flower had stood over his shoulder and insisted Sid send him a message. 

One more time. He’ll check his account one more time and if there’s no response this time he’ll draw a line under the whole thing. Perhaps if he plays up the trauma of rejection Flower will never make him do anything like this again.

Wishful thinking, Sid knows. 

He puts football on in the background, having learned a long time ago that if he puts on hockey he ends up getting distracted and taking notes instead of doing whatever it was he was supposed to be doing. 

He logs into his dating site account, clicks on his messages and freezes. Right at the top, sent only a couple of hours ago, is a reply from Evgeni. 

Sid’s almost too scared to click on it. What if it’s a rejection, what if the message makes fun of his stupidly formal message? Flower had wanted to rewrite it but Sid said no. He wanted the message to be in his own words, not what Flower thought his words should be. 

He’s half inclined to just switch his laptop off without even looking but he knows he won’t sleep tonight until he checks. They have a game tomorrow and he can’t show up all bleary-eyed and exhausted because he was up all night thinking about what the message _might_ say. Best to just get it over and done with like pulling off a band-aid. 

He clicks. 

_Hello Sam_

_Sorry it’s taken so long to reply to your message. It’s a long story that maybe I’ll tell you some time. It’s good to hear from you and I’d like to to get to know you too. My job at the animal shelter means I don’t have time for fishing as much as I would like. Maybe we can go together some time. I also enjoy watching football and hockey. What sports do you like?_

_I look forward to hearing back from you._

_Evgeni_

He reads the message, takes a deep breath, and reads it again to make sure he’s not missing some hint of sarcasm. He’s never been the best at picking up on intonation in written words. 

But it seems to be genuine. Just a genuinely nice message from someone who apparently finds Sid interesting enough to want to get to know him better. That in itself is weird. No one finds Sid interesting outside of his ability to play hockey. 

He pauses for a moment. He’s going to reply, of course. The problem is he’s on the road so much, and he doesn’t tend to bother taking his computer with him when they travel. He finally, begrudgingly, invested in a smartphone but that was only because it’s pretty much impossible to get just a regular phone these days. He mostly uses it for calling, texting and playing games. He could log into the dating site on his phone to check his messages, but with that comes the very likely risk that someone (Flower) will see. 

So the option is to switch to texting and give his number to a man he’s never met, or keep using the site and risking endless chirping and meddling from his teammates. 

He reads Evgeni’s message one more time and that’s enough for him to make up his mind. 

***

Geno’s sitting in bed reading, or trying to read anyway. His mind keeps going back to the fact that he actually sent a message to a stranger on the internet. He’s already imagining Sasha’s smug face if things go well and Geno actually ends up going on a date with this guy. Sasha is insufferable at the best of times, but if his stupid dating site scheme actually works Geno will never hear the end of it. 

While he’s trying to read, his eyes keep flicking over to his laptop which is sitting on a chair on the other side of the room. Maybe he’s got a reply to his message. Maybe not. It’s only been a couple of hours, after all. But his fingers are itching to check. 

He should at least leave it until the morning. He is a grown man and he is not going to sit obsessively checking his messages like some lovesick teenager. 

His eyes go back to his book and with a sigh, he realises he’s read the same page five times now, and still has no idea what’s happened. 

He sets the book aside and gets up to grab his laptop. He’s never going to sleep unless he settles his mind, and he has an early start at the shelter tomorrow morning. 

_Hi Evgeni_

_Thank you for your message. I have to travel a lot for work so my schedule is pretty hectic but I would love to go fishing with you some time. I don’t really know any good spots in Pittsburgh but I can try and look it up._

_By the way would it be okay if we communicated by text from now on? It’s easier for me. I’ll put my number at the bottom._

_Hope to hear from you soon_

_Sam_

Geno almost falls out of bed reaching for his phone. He puts it down to the fact that it’s been far too long since anyone has shown any sort of interest in him like this. He can’t explain why but he has a good feeling about this. 

He programmes Sam’s number into his phone and considers sending a text until he remembers that it’s pretty late. Considering Sam travels a lot for work he doesn’t want to risk his first message being one that wakes him up after a long day so he puts his laptop away and settles himself down in bed.

If he falls asleep with a smile on his face there’s no one around to see it. 

***

_Hello. This is Evgeni._

Sid’s phone beeps just as he’s finishing working out and he can’t stop the smile on his face as he taps out a reply. Thank god Flower isn’t here. The chirping would never end. 

A few seconds later and his phone beeps again, and he’s presented with a photo of a half empty coffee cup with a dog printed on the side.

 _Ready to take on the world now_. 

Sid grins, imagining Evgeni all rumpled and sleepy before he’s had his morning coffee. That turns into an image of Evgeni standing in Sid’s kitchen looking all rumpled and sleep deprived and, okay, he really needs to get ahold of himself. 

He really doesn’t text much except to keep up with the team over the summer but this exchange of little snippets of daily life is kind of fun. 

He takes a photo of his cycling machine and sends it back.

_Just finished working out_

_Early (((((_

Sid’s not quite sure what all the parentheses are for but he’s getting the idea that Evgeni isn’t much of a morning person. 

_Going to see the animals soon. You like cats or dogs best?_

Sid doesn’t even have to think about it. He’d have a dog now if he wasn’t on the road so much. He misses the companionship, someone to come home to, someone to cuddle up with on the couch, someone who won’t judge him if he has a bad game.

Okay, so maybe Flower was right about the whole needing a boyfriend thing. 

He texts a reply and doesn’t get an immediate response this time so he figures Evgeni must be working. He needs to get some breakfast anyway so he heads into the kitchen and fixes himself some eggs. 

He’s just settling down to eat them when his phone beeps again. 

The picture causes something warm to curl in Sid’s chest. Evgeni has taken a selfie, an open and happy smile on his face as he cuddles up to a beagle who is nuzzling Evgeni’s ear.

_This is Titus. He have new home soon. Filled out papers this morning.”_

Sid just stares at the phone for a few minutes with what he is sure is a ridiculous smile on his face. Being a professional hockey player he’s used to wanting things, but that’s usually for the team or for hockey. This, though? This might be the first time in his life he’s wanted something for himself for purely selfish reasons. And, if he’s honest, it feels pretty nice. 

_Cute._ he sends back.

_Me or Titus?_

Feeling bold Sid taps out another reply.

_Both._

***

The rational part of Geno’s brain tells him he should be alarmed at how quickly and easily he’s fallen into a friendship with Sam. They text each other every day and it’s nothing life changing or world altering. Just little details about their lives. He knows that Sam gets up ridiculously early for work, loves working out and has an unhealthy obsession with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He loves dogs but can’t have one because he travels a lot for work.

It’s nice, and it’s comfortable, and Geno is already looking forward to the day they’ll actually be able to meet up. It’s not easy with Sam’s schedule and Geno spending just about every day at the shelter but he’s confident they’ll make it work eventually. 

His skin hums with the very thought of it. 

They haven’t really talked about dating, which is weird considering they met on a dating website but Sam doesn’t seem like the kind of guy that would be into sexting so Geno’s keeping it friendly for now. And, honestly, it’s so comfortable between them he doesn’t even mind. 

His latest fun thing is to text Sam the worst jokes he can think of. He thinks they’re hilarious. He suspects Sam does too although he pretends he doesn’t.

_Why do bees hum?_

_Geno, I swear to god…_

_Because they don’t know the words_

_This friendship is over_

Geno cackles, already trying to think of the next joke he can send.

***

_I’m bored_

Sid glances down at his phone and smiles despite his exhaustion. He’s only just got back from LA after playing the Kings and even though they won the travelling weighs heavy on him like it always does. It scares him how much just a few words from Geno can cheer him up, even when he’s lost in his own thoughts after a loss. He grins as he sacks out in front of the TV and taps out a reply, needing to unwind from the travel before he’s ready to go to bed. 

_Hello, bored, nice to meet you_

_Good one! You learn best jokes from joke master_

_I just got home. Tired but not ready to sleep yet. I wasn’t sure you’d still be awake_

_Couple come in late to look at dogs. Didn’t want to rush them. They chose Kira so she have nice home soon. In bed now._

Sid tries really hard not to imagine Geno in bed, lying on his side with his sleepy face just lit by the screen from his phone. Something curls inside him and he pushes it down. He’s been doing this a lot, lately. Thinking about Geno, imagining what it’d be like to meet him, to actually get to touch him. And with that comes the guilt of knowing that although he’s put as much of himself out there as he can, he’s still lying to Geno about the core of who he is. They haven’t even talked on the phone yet because Sid is scared Geno will recognise his voice. He still feels crappy about telling Geno they can’t talk on the phone because Sid’s shy. It isn’t exactly untrue but it’s not the real reason. Geno had been so understanding and hasn’t pushed Sid at all do anything he’s uncomfortable with. 

Sid sighs and buries his face in the couch cushions. He really is a terrible person who doesn’t deserve someone like Geno in his life. 

_Want to watch some Hell’s Kitchen?_

The beep of his phone startles Sid out of his thoughts. Watching bad reality TV shows is something they’ve just fallen into doing when they both have a free evening and it’s weird how relaxing Sid finds it. He doesn’t usually watch a huge amount of TV but when Geno texts him as they’re watching the same show it’s like having him here. 

God, he wishes he could have Geno here with him. He’s imagined it so many times, curling up against Geno, listening to him tell bad jokes or try to guess who will get eliminated next on America’s Next Top Model. 

Part of him wishes he’d never signed up for that stupid dating site. The rest of him has no regrets as without him he would never have met Geno

_Sounds good_

He switches on his DVR and texts Geno to arrange to both hit play at the same time so they’re watching together. 

_I think Helena get kicked out this week_

Sid smiles and relaxes into the cushions. He’s already half decided that he needs to tell Geno the truth about who he is, even if it goes badly. He has to know if this is something he gets to keep. 

But for tonight he’s happy to text and enjoy the virtual company. 

He falls asleep with his phone on his chest and a smile on his face. 

***

Dating is hard, Geno knows this, so as much as he would love to meet Sam in person, he doesn’t push for more than texting and the occasional email. He knows that he likes Sam a lot and is willing to accept what they have until Sam feels comfortable with more. 

He’s slightly surprised when he gets an email, out of the blue, suggesting they Skype. 

_Sorry for doing this by email but it’s easier than by text. I know I’ve been weird about talking on the phone and meeting in person but I was thinking if you want maybe we could Skype? I like you a lot, Geno, and I don’t want to hide behind text any more. I want you to see me._

He’s included his Skype handle which is just his first name and a load of random numbers.

Geno uses Skype a lot to speak to his family back in Russia so it’s easy enough to add Sam to his contacts. Sam is offline so Geno fires off a text asking when he wants to do this. 

_Tonight? 7pm?_

He hadn’t expected it to be so soon and something inside him quivers with excitement. 

_I look forward to talking with you._

***

Sid has changed his shirt for the third time in the last hour and he knows he’s being ridiculous. Flower would be laughing at him if he was here right now, but since Flower is the reason he got into this situation in the first place Sid doesn't really care that much. 

He glances down at his watch and takes a steadying breath. It’s only a couple of minutes until he’s due to Skype with Geno and he’s deliberately avoided signing into Skype until he’s ready. 

Honestly, he has no idea how Geno is going to react. He’s imagined every possible scenario since he decided he wanted to do this, and preparing for every outcome is something he’s good at. 

He doesn’t know how he’s going to take it if Geno just walks away though. 

His watch beeps, signalling it’s time, so he takes another steadying breath and signs into Skype. Geno is already logged in so Sid doesn’t waste any time before hitting the call button. 

Geno answers almost immediately and Sid’s heart drops as the big smile on Geno’s face falls as he realises who he’s talking to.

“Hi, Geno.”

Geno’s still staring at the screen, looking a mixture of shocked and confused. 

“Is this a trick?” He finally asks, his voice rough and raw. “Ovechkin ask you to do this?”

Of all the things Sid had expected Geno to say this hadn’t even come close. 

“What? No! Wait, you know Ovechkin?”

Now Geno looks angry. “That not the point.”

“It’s not a trick,” Sid says desperately. “Geno, it’s me. I’m sorry I didn't tell you my real name but I can hope you understand why.”

His rehearsed words fall from his lips in a steam so fast he’s not even sure Geno can understand what he’s saying. 

Geno swallows hard. “So all this time I been texting Sidney Crosby.”

Sid is the one to lower his eyes this time. “Yeah.”

“And all this time you lie to me?”

“No! I mean, I didn’t tell you my name but the rest of it was all me. Geno, please. I wanted to do this because I trust you.”

To Sid’s horror there are actually tears in Geno’s eyes now. 

“You trust me,” he says and he sounds broken. “But I’m not trust you. Can’t. Sorry.”

And before Sid can voice any further objections Geno ends the call and leaves Sid staring at a blank screen.

That was more of a disaster than Sid could ever have imagined. All he can do is sit there staring at the empty Skype window and feeling like his heart is about to break.

***

Geno barely sleeps that night. Every time he drifts off he’s plagued by dreams that don’t really have any form to them but wake him up with his heart pounding and an anxious feeling in his stomach. 

At 5am he finally gives up on the pretence of sleeping and drags himself into the shower, the hot water doing little to make him feel better. 

He knows he should probably call in sick given how awful he feels but the alternative to feeling awful at work is sitting at home moping over how suddenly and catastrophically his life has gone to crap. At least spending some time with the animals will cheer him up. They’re not stupid NHL stars who lie to their potential dates. 

He toys with the idea of calling Sasha but even before the idea has finished forming he’s pushed it away. Sidney, and it’s hard to think of him as Sidney and not Sam, might have lied to him but Geno isn’t so much of an asshole that he’d out someone just so he can vent.

Instead he finishes his shower, gets dressed fixes himself some coffee and drives to work. 

“Are you okay?” Kirsten asks as soon as he walks through the door. “You look awful.”

Not as awful as he feels, Geno suspect. 

“I okay. Didn’t sleep so good.”

Kirsten makes a sympathetic noise. She has an infant so Geno’s sure she knows all too well what no sleep feels like. 

“Here, I just brewed some coffee.”

He takes the mug with a grateful smile, half afraid that if he does try to speak he may end up just breaking down right there on the spot. Instead he heads into his office, determined to throw himself into work and not think about Sidney Crosby at all. 

***

Sid tries to be good and give Geno his space but by the third day he can’t stand it anymore and he sends Geno a text.

_I’m sorry. I miss you. Please forgive me_

He doesn’t get an answer.

***

Geno considers getting a new phone and changing his number as he deletes the text from his phone. 

***

 

“This isn't something you can fix by text,” Flower tells him. “You need to do this face to face.”

“How?” Sid asks miserably. “We’ve never met in person before.”

Flower waves a dismissive hand. “How hard can it be to find a Russian who runs an animal shelter.”

“You don’t think turning up at his place of work is creepy? I’m trying to respect his wishes and not scare him off.”

“You’ve already scared him off,” Flower points out. “The point is to convince him that you’re not scary. If you talk to him and he’s still not interested then, I don’t know, adopt a dog or something.”

“Why would I need to adopt a dog when I have you?”

His chirps have been getting better since he started texting with Geno and that knowledge makes him sad all over again. 

Flower mutters a curse in French and cuffs the back of Sid’s head. “Your moping is depressing. Go and find your boy. If things don’t work out, we’ll get drunk together.”

Sid’s all but shooed out of the door and he’s left standing outside with his phone in his hand. 

Maybe Flower is right, but Sid will die rather than admit that so he just silently pulls up the Google search on his phone. 

***

Unsurprisingly a search of ‘Evgeni Animal Shelter’ only yields one result and it’s not long before Sid is sitting in the parking lot trying to muster the courage to go inside. Which is stupid. A lot of things make Sid uncomfortable but he has never once shied away from them. This is no different. He either goes inside and tries to fix things with Geno or he goes home and never speaks to Geno again. 

Sid is a lot of things, but one thing he is not is someone who gives up at the first hurdle. 

He pulls his cap down over his eyes and puts on his sunglasses for good measure. It’s not going to fool anyone who looks at him for more than a few seconds but it makes him feel a bit more comfortable as he exits the car and heads inside. 

He’s greeted my a middle aged woman with sandy brown hair who smiles at him brightly as soon as he walks through the door. 

“Hi,” he says quietly. “I was hoping to speak to Evgeni if he’s here.”

He’s pretty sure he’s horribly butchering the pronunciation but he figures she’ll know who he means. 

Her eyes widen for a second and Sid thinks she’s probably recognised him. She doesn’t say anything though.

“I’ll just check if he’s here.”

She disappears into the back and leaves Sid standing alone in the reception area. With nothing else to do he picks up a flyer on animal adoption and makes a show of reading it even though the words aren’t even coming close to sinking in. 

“You can go on through to the back,” the lady from reception says, snapping Sid from his thoughts. “Geno’s office is just through the door and on the left.”

Sid nods, thanks her, and walks into the back. 

He’s not sure if he should knock on the office door or not but it seems to be polite so he taps briefly and then lets himself in. 

Geno is pacing and wow he’s taller than he looked in the photos. 

“What you doing here?” Geno asks, stopping his pacing and turning to face Sid. 

“I’m sorry for coming,” Sid says and suddenly he has no idea what to do with his hands. “I just wanted to explain, face to face, and if you want me to go I promise I will and you’ll never see me again. 

Geno sighs and leans back against his desk. “Been thinking a lot. Hurt that you lied but understand. Can’t be easy to date when famous hockey star.”

Okay, that kind of makes him sound like an asshole. “It’s not that. Not really. I just wanted someone who liked me for me. Not for my money or the fame or any of that. I know it’s stupid and I shouldn't have lied but...I like you, Geno, a lot. If you want this to be over, I’ll respect that but I really don’t.”

There’s a pregnant pause and Sid can hear his own heart beating in his chest. 

“I’m not want that either,” Geno finally concedes. “Missed texting you these past few days.”

“You can text me anytime you want,” Sid promises. “We can talk on the phone, go an actual dates. Whatever you want.”

“Want you, Sid,” and with that Geno kisses him. 

As first kisses go it’s pretty great. Geno’s mouth is warm and supple against his, and Sid can’t help but deepen the kiss. He nearly didn’t have this. He could have lost everything. God, he’s an idiot. 

“You thinking too much,” Geno murmurs when he pulls back finally. “Can feel it.”

“Sorry,” Sid replies. “Just thinking about what an idiot I was.”

Geno hums in agreement but there’s humour sparkling in his eyes.

“Maybe we can start over?” Sid suggests. “No lies this time.”

“Okay,” Geno agrees. “But I’m not forget kiss. Was good kiss.”

Sid blushes. Obviously he’s kissed people before but it’s the first time he’s been complimented on it. 

He extends his hand. “Hi, I’m Sidney.”

Geno takes his hand and Sid shivers. His hands aren’t exactly small but they looked dwarfed by Geno’s. 

“Evgeni. Nice to meet. You call me Geno, is easier to say.”

Sid nods. “And you can call me Sid.”

“Okay, Sid.” And the way Geno says his name it sounds like a promise of things to come. 

Sid grins. “Not too be too forward or anything, I know we just met, but I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date with me.”

Geno grins back. “Would like, Sid. Would like very much.”

“I know a great restaurant. Could I pick up you tomorrow night?”

“Yes,” Geno replies. “I text you my address.”

For a moment they just stare at each other, stupid smiles on both of their faces. Then Geno laughs.

“Can’t believe I’m go on date with Sidney Crosby. Sasha going to give me so much shit.”

Sid frowns. “So you really do know Ovechkin?”

“Help him adopt dog, become friends. Not see him much but we talk on phone, go out for drinks sometimes. He sign me up for dating site as birthday gift.”

Sid groans and buries his face in his hands. “I’m never going to hear the end of this next time we play them. God, and I’m going to have to thank him too.”

Geno lays a hand on Sid’s arm, gentle and reassuring. “Can not tell him if easier. Not mind being secret.”

Sid shakes his head. “Geno, no. I don’t want you to be my secret. Everyone close to me knows I’m gay, and I always said I’d come out publically when I met the right person. I’ll put up with some chirping from Ovechkin. He’s mostly harmless, anyway.”

Geno looks relieved but Sid has a thought. “Geno, I promised no secrets so I need to be upfront. When people find out we’re dating, the media are going to be interested in you. I’ll shield you from it as much as I can but it might be a bit rough until people get used to it.”

“Is okay, Sid. I be charming. Journalists fall in love with me, not write mean things.”

Sid doesn’t doubt for a second that if anyone could charm even the most critical journalists it’d be Geno. 

“I should go,” he finally says reluctantly. “But I’ll pick you up tomorrow?”

Geno nods and Sid leans in for another kiss, letting out a hurt noise when Geno steps back.

“I not kiss before first date, Sid. What kind of man you think I am?”

***

Geno has no idea what you’re supposed to wear on a date with Pittsburgh’s most famous NHL star. He’s thought about texting Sid a few times to ask where they’re going but he kind of wants it to be a surprise too. 

He opts for a black button down shirt and his nicest pair of jeans in the end. He doesn’t think Sid is the sort of guy who goes to the fanciest restaurants so he’ll probably be okay. 

He glances at the clock on the wall and curses when he realises Sid will be here any minute now and he still hasn’t put his shoes on. 

He’s hopping around on one foot trying to find his other shoe when there’s a tentative knock at the door. 

He curses again and opens the door, balancing on one foot.

Sid glances down at Geno’s feet and back up at his face again. “Everything okay?”

“Just need to find shoe,” Geno says. “You want come in?”

Sid nods and steps inside. Belatedly Geno realises the place is kind of a mess and inviting his date in was probably not the best idea. 

“Sorry about mess,” he hurriedly apologises. “Won’t be moment.”

Finally he manages to find the elusive shoe and slips it onto his foot. “Okay, Sid. Ready.”

“You have a nice place,” Sid replies with a smile and considering Sid probably lives in a mansion he’s surprised at the warmth in Sid’s voice. He clearly means it. 

“Bit small,” Geno says. “Too small for dog. But it home.”

“Shall we go?” Sid asks, offering Geno his arm like a proper Canadian gentleman. It’s all Geno can do not to burst out laughing. 

He takes Sid’s arm and allows himself to be escorted out to the car. 

***

Geno’s surprised when Sid pulls up outside Kessel’s. He’s heard of it, of course, but he’s never been. 

“Hot dog restaurant?” He asks as they get out of the car. “Surprised allowed to eat.”

Sid shrugs. “It’s not on my diet plan but I get cheat days and it’s a special occasion. Besides, I know the owner. He’ll make sure no one bothers us.”

Geno isn’t surprised that Sid knows the owner of one of the most famous restaurants in town. That’s something he’s going to have to get used to. 

As soon as Sid gives his name to the hostess they’re shown to a quiet table at the back of the restaurant. A few moments later a man comes out to their table and Sid rises to shake his hand. 

“Hi, Phil. Good to see you.”

Phil’s eyes flit down to Geno for a second and then back to Sid but his facial expression doesn’t change at all. 

“This is Geno,” Sid says and Geno rises to his feet to shake Phil’s hand

“Heard lots of good thing about this place,” Geno says with a warm smile. “Nice to finally eat here.”

Phil actually blushes, as though he’s not used to people complimenting his food or his restaurant. 

“Thanks. I hope you enjoy it.”

He turns his attention back to Sid. “I’d better get back to the kitchen but it was good to see you. Haggy will probably come out and say hi later but he’s swamped at the moment.”

Sid nods and takes his seat.

“Haggy?” Geno asks curiously. 

Sid shakes his head. “Carl Hagelin is the sous chef here. They all have nicknames. It’s a bit like hockey.” Then Sid’s cheek flush red. “Sorry, I promised myself I wouldn’t talk about hockey tonight.”

Geno reaches across the table and takes Sid’s hand in his. “I’m like hockey, Sid. And is important for you. We can talk about it.”

“I’d rather talk about you,” Sid insists. “How are things at the shelter?”

“Good,” Geno replies. “Two cats and a dog find homes today.”

“That’s great,” Sid replies and once again Geno is overwhelmed by how sincere he sounds. 

“Are you guys ready to order?” 

Geno’s suddenly painfully aware that he’s still holding Sid’s hand. Sid doesn’t seem to mind though. Geno is also painfully aware that they haven’t even looked at the menu yet. 

“I’ll give you guys a few more minutes.”

***

“Sid,” Geno moans happily around his third hot dog. “This food best. Not want to leave.”

Sid smiles happily. “I’m glad you like it.”

The noises Geno is making are borderline obscene but Sid keeps his composure and sips his wine while Geno finishes his meal. 

“Need to tell Phil how good food is,” Geno says. “You think he busy?”

Sid glances down at his watch. They’ve actually been here for hours now. Between getting to know each other and eating he’d barely noticed. In fact the fact that he’s friends with Phil is probably the only reason they haven’t been kicked out yet. 

Almost as though he’d heard them Phil emerges from the kitchen. 

Geno rises from his seat and actually hugs him, which Phil looks mildly alarmed by. 

“Sorry,” Geno says. “But food so good.”

Phil smiles at that. “Haggy actually prepared your meals this evening. He’s just clearing up if you want to meet him.”

Which is how they end up in the kitchen of the restaurant and Geno introduces himself to Haggy by pulling him into a hug. 

Sid’s met him before, but they haven’t spoken a huge amount. Most of what he knows about Haggy he’s learned from talking to Phil. 

Haggy appears to be taking the hug from a huge Russian in his stride though. He has a smile on his face as Geno talks to him.

Sid smiles. This just confirms what he’d already suspected. Geno is the sort of man that everyone likes. 

“You look happy,” Phil says with a tired smile as he plops down in the seat next to Sid. “I think he’s good for you.”

“Well, it’s early days,” Sid says. “We’ll see how it goes. This is only our first date.”

Phil actually does look surprised at that. “Really? I thought it was longer. You guys seem very comfortable around each other. It’s nice. I’m happy for you.”

Sid tries hard not to make it obvious that he can see the wistful way Phil is staring at the corner where Carl and Geno are having an animated conversation about something. 

“You ever think we’d end up here?” Phil asks, finally turning his attention back to Sid. “Being happy, I mean.”

It’s not that Sid was unhappy before. For the longest time all he wanted to do was play hockey, and he got to do that, and do it with what he considers to be the best team in the NHL. He didn’t even consider himself lonely, despite Flower’s insistence that he was. Really, it was only when he started texting Geno that he’d realised that something had been missing from his life. Something he plans never to let go of now that he has it. 

“I thought I was happy just playing hockey,” he says. “I put up with the media because it comes with the job but honestly if I could just play and not have to deal with any of that it’d be perfect.”

“Yeah, I hear you.”

Sid remembers the way the Canadian press tore into Phil when he announced he was closing his Toronto five star restaurant and moving to Pittsburgh to open a gourmet hot dog restaurant of all things. As though he should have just accepted all their criticisms of his menu and carried on working in a city that clearly didn’t appreciate him.

Pittsburgh food critics, on the other hand, couldn’t get enough of Phil. The novel idea combined with the high quality of the recipes had won them over almost instantly. Sid remembered seeing a magazine article where Phil had been interviewed about a month after the restaurant opened and he had the biggest smile on his face. It was almost as though Phil was a different person. 

That was probably why Sid had been drawn to Phil in the first place. They’d both been mistaken for aloof or awkward by the media but the truth is they were both good at what they did and just wanted to be left alone to do it. 

“Sid!” Geno bounds over like one of the excitable puppies in his shelter and Sid can’t help but smile. How did he get so lucky? “Haggy tell me about amazing bar that serve only vodka! All different kinds! And owner is Russian so is good vodka not American shit! We should go!”

Phil laughs quietly. “Hags takes everyone to that bar. It is pretty good.”

Geno nods excitedly. “You and Haggy should come too! Can be double date!”

Phil’s cheeks flush an alarming shade of red at that. “Oh...me and Hags. No, we’re not together. Not like that.”

Geno frowns. “Sorry, Phil. I’m misunderstand. Should come anyway. Best vodka for best friends.”

Sid realises that he should probably be offended that Geno wants other people to join them on their first date but, honestly, he’s so charmed that Geno wants to spend time with some of the important people in Sid’s life that it’s impossible to be annoyed. Besides, he has a feeling that this is just going to be the first of many dates and that alone is enough to put a smile on his face. 

Seeing the look on Sid’s face is apparently enough to tell Phil that he’s okay with this. “Yeah, sure. We’re pretty much done here. Why not.”

Which is how Sid finds himself crammed into a booth with an American, a Russian and a Swede. It’s like the setup to a really bad joke. 

Even on cheat days Sid has never really been a huge fan of bars. They’re hot, crowded and too noisy to have any sort of reasonable conversation. The place Hags has taken them to isn’t really like that, though. It’s busy enough but their booth is set back from the bar and the music is more ambient background noise than anything intrusive. Sid likes it.

“Not bad, eh?” Phil says.

“Not bad,” Hags snorts. “This place is awesome.”

He gestures at the array of flavoured vodkas set out in front of them and pokes Geno. 

“As our expert on what makes a good vodka, I invite you to sample the first one. Take your pick.”

Geno considers for a second and reaches for the sour berry flavour, eyeing it warily for a second before knocking it back. He takes a second, mulling over the flavour and smacking his lips together. Then his face erupts in a beaming smile.

“Sid! Is good! You need to try.” He reaches over and grabs another shot, handing it to Sid with a grin. “Is maple syrup. Good Canadian flavour.”

Sid grimaces. Sure he likes syrup on his pancakes when he’s allowed but that doesn’t mean he wants to drink a shot of the stuff. 

He knocks it back and damn, it really does taste just like maple syrup. Well, the American version at least. Not quite as good as Canadian but close. 

“Good, yes?” Geno says clapping Sid on the back. “Haggy choose best places.”

Between them they proceed to try every flavour of vodka available. Sid limits himself to a small number because he’s playing the day after tomorrow but he’s more than happy to watch the bob of Geno’s throat as he knocks back his shots. 

Hags is smiling the happy smile of the drunk as he throws his arm across the back of their bench. He’s not quite touching Phil’s shoulders and the more he drinks the more he lists into Phil’s personal space. 

“We should probably go,” Sid suggests when it looks like Hags is about to fall asleep against Phil’s neck. “Want us to help you get him home?”

Phil tugs Hags to his feet and wraps an arm around his waist to stop him from toppling over. “Nah, I’m good. We’ve been here before, right Haggy?”

“S’awesome.” Hags slurs. 

Sid spares a glance to Geno, who has probably matched Hags shot for shot, but Geno seems fine getting to his feet by himself.

“Russian.” Geno says, seemingly reading Sid’s thoughts. 

They stumble out of the bar and Sid and Geno wait until Phil has Hags loaded into a cab before heading back to Geno’s apartment. 

“Need to do something about them.” Geno says as they’re walking.

“Them who?” Sid asks curiously.

“Phil and Haggy. Can see they like each other. Have to be blind to not see. They need push.”

“I dunno,” Sid says. He’s not denying what Geno’s observes. Someone would have to be blind not to see it. “I’m not sure it’s our place to push.”

“We not be together if Sasha not push.” Geno points out.

Sid will be cold in the ground before he admits out loud that he owes Ovechkin anything.

“We need plan. Like game plan.” Geno insists and Sid has a feeling he’s not going to get out of this no matter what he thinks.

“How about we focus on us first,” Sid says with a shy smile. “How do you feel about another date? I did promise to take you fishing.”

The conspiratorial grin on Geno’s face fades into a soft smile as he dips his head and presses a gentle kiss to Sid’s lips. “Would like that.”

Sid closes the small amount of space between them, crushing his body against Geno’s and deepening the kiss. If he had his way he’d never stop kissing him.

“Want to come inside?” Geno whispers when they’re eventually forced to pull back to catch their breath. 

All Sid can do is nod. 

“Was hoping you’d say that,” Geno replies with a grin, fumbling with his keys and opening the door with one hand while keeping his other arm around Sid’s waist, as though he’s afraid Sid will disappear if he lets go. 

Sid is about to reassure Geno that he’s not going anywhere when Geno finally gets the door open. Before Sid can say anything, Geno’s hand fists in the front of his shirt and he’s dragged into the apartment without a word.

***

“When we go fishing?” Geno asks over breakfast the next morning.

“I have practice today, and a game tomorrow,” Sid says regretfully as he slides into the seat opposite Geno. He’s wearing a pair of Geno’s sweatpants which stretch ridiculously over his ass and pool on the floor at his feet. Geno tries really hard not to grin proudly at the marks he’s left on Sid’s neck and chest. 

Last night had been better than anything he could ever have imagined. He’d been half convinced he was going to wake up this morning and find out everything had just been an amazing dream. But when he’d opened his eyes, Sid had been curled against him with his breath tickling against Geno’s neck and a small smile on his face. Geno will go through the rest of his life with that memory, no matter what happens. 

“Geno?” 

He’s snapped out of his thoughts and realises Sid has been talking to him.

“Sorry, Sid. Just thinking. What you say?”

“I was just saying I might have found somewhere quiet and private for us to fish but I just need to check. If it’s okay maybe we could go the day after tomorrow?”

Being apart from Sid for two whole days hardly bears thinking about, especially when it took them so long to get here in the first place. 

Sid reaches across the table and squeezes his hand.

“It’ll be okay, we can text like we used to. And we can talk on the phone, Skype, whatever you want.”

Geno realises he’s being ridiculous. Sid has a life outside of them, an important life with a team that counts on him and a job that he loves. Of course he can go a couple of days.

He nods. “I’m miss you, Sid. But you right, will be okay.”

Sid flashes him a shy grin. “You know, we have some time before practice. Usually I work out but…”

Geno grins. “Don’t worry, Sid. I make sure your muscles get good workout.”

***

Sid endures the hooting and whistling with a good natured smile when he changes for practice and reveals the marks Geno has left on his body. He’s not going to be ashamed for being happy, although the looks the French Canadians give him tells him he’s going to be having a long conversation with them later. Again, he can endure it. He’s willing to endure a lot to keep Geno in his life, which should scare him but actually doesn’t at all. It just feels right. 

He skillfully avoids Flower after practice and once he’s showered and changed he heads down to physiotherapy. 

“Hey, Sid,” Jason greets with a warm smile. “Everything okay? I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was after a favour actually.”

“Anything you want! I still owe you for making an appearance at Kelsey’s show and tell.”

Spending a couple of hours with Jason’s daughter and her elementary school class hadn’t exactly been a hardship. After show and tell, she’d talked excitedly to him about hockey until it was time for Sid to leave, telling him in the most serious voice an eight year old can manage, that she was going to be a hockey coach when she grew up and that she was going to take notes during games as soon as she learned how to write fast enough. 

Sid already had plans to see if she could spend a little time with Sully when it was convenient for them both. 

“Oh, that was no trouble at all. Kelsey is a great kid. But I was just wondering, you know you mentioned your place backs onto the water and it’s good for fishing?”

Jason gets an excited look in his eyes which Sid recognises all too well. It’s the same look he gets in his own eyes when he gets to talk about hockey. 

“Man, the fishing is great! You’ll love it if you’re looking for a spot. I’ve got a spare key for the gate that leads down to the boathouse. I’ll bring it in for you tomorrow. Feel free to come on by whenever you want. You won’t be disturbing us.”

Now for the awkward part. “I was hoping to bring someone with me and have a little privacy. Is that okay? I just wasn’t sure where else to go where we could fish without being disturbed.”

Jason, to his credit, barely even blinks. “Hey, no problem at all. When were you thinking of coming by? I’m overdue taking the family to the zoo anyway.”

Now Sid feels like kind of an asshole. “Oh, I wasn’t meaning to kick you out of your own home. I just…”

“Hey, it’s okay. The house is set back from the river anyway. Just let me know when you want to come by and I’ll make sure the kids don’t come down and bother you.”

“I was thinking the day after tomorrow, but only if that’s no trouble.”

“No trouble at all,” Jason promises. “I’ll bring you that key in tomorrow.”

“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

***

When Geno imagined going fishing with Sid, he’d sort of pictured them on a pond somewhere, not out on a private stretch of river behind someone’s house. He’s still getting used to the fact that he’s dating someone that can’t just go out wherever they like whenever they like. 

“Are you sure this is okay?” Sid asks for the third time since they got there. 

He’s chewing his lip with worry, like he’s afraid Geno is going to just get up and leave. Which would be impressive given that they’re out in the middle of the river. 

Geno sighs and sets down his rod, scooting down the boat slowly so as not to rock it too much. He gently takes the rod out of Sid’s hand and sets it down next to his.

“Sid, why you worry? You say we go fishing and we fishing. You here with me, so I happy.”

Sid sighs and closes his eyes. “I just know this isn’t exactly normal.”

“Pfft,” Geno snorts dismissively. “Normal boring. I just want be with you, okay. So, no worry. We see who catches biggest fish and then we cook.”

Sid’s eyes snap open and Geno grins at the competitive look in them. At least now he knows he just has to make something a contest to get Sid to do something he wants. 

“When I win, you can do the cooking.” Sid says as he picks up his rod and casts out again. 

“Oh, ‘when’ you win?” Geno says as he puts some fresh bait on his line. “So confident.”

“I’ll even let you use my grill.”

Something inside Geno quivers at the thought of going back to Sid’s place after this. He wonders if there’s any way for him to throw the fishing competition just so Sid wins.

***

“I’m not know Sidney Crosby such a sore loser. You always such polite Canadian in interviews.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to win,” Sid grumbles and he’s aware that these are the first words he’s spoken since they weighed their fish and Geno’s bass had been just a couple of ounces heavier. 

“Is okay to lose at fishing, Sid,” Geno says as he slings a comforting arm around Sid’s shoulders. Sid actually finds himself relaxing into the touch. 

“Yeah, I know. Sorry.”

Geno grins and presses a kiss to the top of Sid’s head. “You cute when you sulking.”

“I wasn’t sulking,” Sid protests and the words sound weak even to his ears. “I was reflecting.”

Geno throws his head back with a laugh. “Come on, Sid. You reflect in car and I cook fish on your grill, even though I’m best at fishing.”

Sid finds himself smiling despite himself. “Ass.”

***

Geno really tries not to stare. He’d expected Sid’s house to be big but this place is _huge_. 

“You want to put the fish in the refrigerator while I give you a tour,” Sid asks. He’s shuffling on his feet and looking faintly embarrassed. If Geno had to guess Sid doesn’t bring people around here very often. 

“Cook first,” he says with a shake of his head. “Hungry.”

They head into the back and Sid gives Geno some basic instructions on how to work the grill. 

“I’ll get us some plates. You want a beer?”

“Please.”

As Sid disappears back into the house Geno prepares the fish before placing them on the grill and allows himself a moment to take in the surroundings. The land at the back of the house seems to go on for miles. It’s quiet and peaceful here and he can already feel himself relaxing. 

He’s startled out of his thoughts by Sid placing a bottle of beer down in front of him.

“Is beautiful here, Sid.” Geno says as he picks up the bottle and takes a drink. 

Sid flushes. “Thanks. I helped design it. I wanted something that was right for me, you know?”

Geno doesn’t know, not really. He can’t even imagine being able to just design his perfect house and have someone build it for him. 

“Is this weird for you?” Sid asks softly, uncertainly. 

“A little,” Geno admits. “But not bad weird.”

“I don’t want you to be uncomfortable,” Sid says not for the first time. “We can stick with going to your place if that’s easier for you.”

Geno sets down his beer and takes Sid’s hand in his. “Sid, no. This your home. Part of your life. If we date we need to share our lives. So I get used to big house if you get used to tiny apartment. Deal?”

Sid shrugs. “I like your apartment. It feels like you.”

“And this house is you.”

When Sid nods Geno presses a quick kiss to his lips and turns his attention back to the fish. 

***

“My fish bigger but yours taste better,” Geno says after they’ve finished eating. Sid had insisted on washing up since Geno cooked and Geno countered by saying he’d dry. They’d crowded into the kitchen and Sid had made a big show of loading the dishes into the dishwasher. It’d been worth it to see Geno laugh. Sid would make Geno laugh every day if he could. 

“So, you want a tour of the house now?” Sid asks. 

Geno’s brow furrows in thought. “Don’t know, Sid. Is long way to walk. We have time to see everything?”

Sid’s about to apologise, once again, for the size of his house when he catches the twinkle in Geno’s eyes and swats him on the ass instead. 

“Come on, I’ll just show you the ice rink and where the bathrooms and bedrooms are. The important stuff.”

“I think we see bedroom first,” Geno says with a mischievous grin. “Is most important room.”

A hunger curls in Sid’s belly that he’s still not used to feeling and Geno clearly feels the same way because he leans down and kisses Sid before saying. “Come. Show me bedroom.”

Sid can barely think straight as he leads Geno up the stairs and down the hall to his bedroom. This isn’t something he’s ever done before. He doesn’t engage in casual hookups because it’s too much of a risk, and he’s always considered himself too busy to put the time into any sort of meaningful relationship. That was all before Geno though.

He pushes open the bedroom door and steps aside so Geno can go in first. 

“This is it,” he says feeling oddly self-conscious even though the bedroom is probably the room in the house that reflects his personality the least. There’s a history book on the table by the bed and a photography print on the wall, but that’s about it. He really only comes in here to sleep. He doesn’t have a TV in here because it stops you sleeping properly, and he’s got blackout blinds over the windows for when he needs his pre-game naps. It’s a pretty boring room all things considered. 

“I like bed,” Geno says after a moment. “Big enough even for me.”

Sid blushes and nods his head.

“Come on,” Geno says, tugging Sid over. “We test and make sure.”

***

“You really have ice rink in house?” Geno asks, fingers tracing lazily over Sid’s chest. 

“Mm-hmm.” Sid murmurs, his eyes are still closed and he seems reluctant to open them, or move. “You skate?”

“Used to, back in Russia. Not have much time since I’m move here.”

Sid snuggles closer, resting his head on Geno’s shoulder. This is nice. Geno doesn’t really feel inclined to move either. Maybe they can just stay like this until they get too hungry.

“We should skate together some time.”

“Not now,” Geno protests. “Comfortable.”

“No,” Sid agrees. “Not now. But some time. Maybe for our next date?”

Geno smiles and presses a kiss to the top of Sid’s head. “Yes, Sid. We skate for next date.”

***

“Looking forward to going home?” 

All Sid can do is nod his head. They’ve been on the road for nine days now and they beat Nashville in overtime tonight - which is a good to end the trip, even if it was closer than he’d have liked. He’s tired, and he misses Geno even though they’ve been texting and skyping every day.

Flower’s looking at him now, and it’s a testament to how tired they are that, rather than chirping about Geno, he just nods and settles back down into his seat, closing his eyes and trying to get some sleep before the plane lands. It’s not a bad idea so Sid closes his eyes and joins him.

***

_Just landed. Going home to sleep. Can I see you tomorrow? Maybe we can go skating?_

It’s late, and Geno was just on the verge of falling asleep when his phone had lit up. He can’t help but smile.

_Welcome home, Sid. Missed you. Already took day off tomorrow. We skate._

He grins and taps out another message.

_And other things )))_

He falls asleep with a smile on his face.

***

Despite not getting in until late Sid finds himself awake at his usual early time. Even with the jetlag, his body seems determined to stick to its routine. 

He’s desperate to see Geno after nearly two weeks apart but he’s also fairly sure that no matter how much Geno might have missed him he won’t appreciate being woken up at 6am on his day off. 

He works out, showers, has breakfast and decides it’s probably late enough that he can see Geno without being murdered by a grumpy Russian bear who’s been woken up. 

_I’m heading over. Hope you’ve had your morning coffee_

It takes him about twenty minutes to drive to Geno’s and it’s nice. He has the radio on and finds himself singing along (badly) as he coasts down the road into Geno’s neighbourhood. 

He’s surprised that once he’s parked up and checked his phone that Geno hasn’t replied to his text. Hopefully it’s because he’s in the shower and not because he’s still asleep. Sid really doesn’t want to be the asshole that wakes Geno up. 

He knocks on Geno’s door and waits. 

And waits. 

He knocks again, louder this time in case Geno actually is still asleep. 

A few more minutes pass. Finally he hears the sound of the lock being opened and...oh.

“Geno, you look awful!”

The words are out before he realises what he’s saying and, wow, now he sounds like an ass. 

Geno blinks fuzzily at him, face pale and creases from his pillow lining one side of his face.

“Sid?” Geno rasps and wow he sounds worse than he looks. “You’re here?”

He looks confused, or more accurately like he’s just woken up and doesn’t know what day it is. It wakes something protective in Sid that he wasn’t aware he even had off the ice. He has no idea how to look after someone who is clearly sick but he knows that it’s what he wants to do. 

“Yeah,” he says gently, stepping forward and placing a reassuring hand on Geno’s arm. “I’m here. Come on, you need to be back in bed.”

Geno lets out a low grunt of what Sid assumes is agreement, and Sid steers Geno into his bedroom, hovering while Geno tips himself into bed with a low groan.

“I’m not feel good, Sid,” Geno moans unhappily. 

“I know,” Sid replies. “Just close your eyes, okay. Have you got any Tylenol? I can go to the store if you don’t.”

He doesn’t relish the idea of going to a store where he might get recognised. It’s not that he minds signing autographs or posing for photos, but when Geno is at home sick, he doesn’t want to get delayed by anything. 

“In bathroom.” Geno replies. “Not have to look after me, Sid. Might catch it and miss hockey.”

Sid waves a dismissive hand, even though Geno has his eyes closed and can’t actually see him. “I want to look after you, though. And I have a good immune system. I don’t get sick very often.”

When Geno doesn’t respond immediately Sid heads into the bathroom and finds the bottle of Tylenol in the cabinet. He pours a couple of pills into his hand, heads into the kitchen and fills a large glass of water before going back into the bedroom.

“Geno? You still awake?”

While Sid has been out of the room, Geno has buried himself under the covers so that only a bit of his hair is sticking out. A low rumble emerges from the depths of the blanket burrito. 

“I brought you some Tylenol and some water. Think you can take them before you sleep?”

Another low rumble but Geno’s head finally emerges. Sid takes a seat on the edge of the bed and holds out the pills. Geno’s hands are still buried under the covers and for a moment Sid thinks maybe he’s going to have to hand feed Geno the pills. Weirdly, he’s not entirely opposed to the idea either. 

Finally, though, Geno’s hand snakes out from underneath the blankets and he manages to lift his head enough to swallow the pills with some water. 

“Thanks, Sid.”

Sid gives him a reassuring smile and sets the glass down next to the bed. “I’ll leave this here in case you you get thirsty. I think you need to drink lots of water if you have a fever. But you should sleep too.”

“Thanks, Sid,” Geno says again, flashing him an indulgent smile before he closes his eyes and appears to drift off. 

Sid sits there for a moment, just watching the rise and fall of Geno’s chest and aware that he’s being creepy. He should probably head home and let Geno rest, but what if Geno wakes up and needs something? Or wakes up expecting to find Sid still here?

He’d better stay, just in case. There’s probably something good he can watch on the History Channel while Geno sleeps. 

***

Sid jolts awake suddenly, flailing for a moment before he becomes aware that he’s not at home and at some point it had got dark out. He’s also aware that there’s now a crushing weight pressed against his side. 

“Not need to stay, Sid,” Geno rasps and Sid realises that some time during his impromptu nap, Geno had joined him on the couch.

“I wanted to,” Sid replies. “In case you needed me.”

Geno lets out a contented hum and snuggles a little closer. “I’m always need you, Sid. Glad you here.”

Sid smiles and reaches for Geno’s hand, which is cool to the touch. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. Sleep lots. Sorry I miss skating date.”

Sid gives Geno’s hand a squeeze. “The rink’s not going anywhere. I’m just glad you’re feeling better. You hungry?”

“Little, but I think I’m sleep some more first. You want to join? Couch not good for back.”

“Sure. How about I put some fresh sheets on the bed first. It’ll help you sleep better. You should drink some more water too.”

He’s rewarded for his thoughtfulness with a gentle elbow to the ribs. 

“Sid most bossy. Okay, I’m drink some water. Sheets are in closet next to bathroom.”

As soon as Geno gets up Sid finds himself missing his warmth. Considering he spends most of his time on the ice, and grew up in a country famous for its winters, he really does love the heat of Geno’s body against his.

It only takes him a few minutes to change the sheets on Geno’s bed and soon enough they’re curled against each other and Geno is sleeping deeply. 

In the dark, Sid is struck by the sudden and unexpected realisation that just lying here with Geno in his arms is better than the skating that they’ve missed. 

It kind of scares him.

***

Sunday has become Geno’s favourite day. When all their schedules allow it he meets up with Sid, Phil and Carl for coffee. Usually at Sid’s place because he has the best coffee maker, one that Geno is still suspicious of because no machine that makes coffee needs that many buttons and settings. 

He’s aware that he’s probably staring but he loves to watch Sid on their Sundays together. The way he’s relaxed, how he smiles and laughs at dumb jokes. It just causes a warm feeling to curl in his chest and he’s struck with the urge to just pull Sid against him and pet his hair like he’s one of the dogs at the shelter.

“So, how’s things at the shelter?”

Geno blinks at Carl who’s looking at him with an earnest smile. Had he just said that last part out loud? Sid isn’t blushing or trying to make an excuse to leave so maybe not. 

“Things mostly good. Happy to help animals find new homes. Difficult sometimes, though. Have to rely on donations and sometimes buy cheap food from Walmart.”

Carl makes a sympathetic noise. “That sucks.”

“Geno, you know I could just…” Sid’s got that frown on his face. It’s a look that Geno hates because he knows what’s coming. 

“No, Sid. Nice of you to offer, but no. Don’t want feel like I owe you debt.”

“You wouldn’t,” Sid murmurs. “You know it’s not like that. I sponsor a lot of local organizations.”

It’s a conversation they’ve had before, and one that they’ll have again. Geno is sure of it.

“I know it not like that for you,” he chides gently. “But is how it feels for me.”

They lapse into an uncomfortable silence. Geno hates that money is always going to be a divide between him and Sid no matter how hard they try to pretend it’s not there. 

Phil clears his throat, causing everyone to jump slightly. 

“I’ve got an idea that might help,” he finally says. “I’m good friends with the owner of a wholesale place across the river. I’m sure he’d be interested in donating to a local animal shelter. We could go and talk to him.”

Geno stares at Phil. “You really think he help?”

“Rav’s a good guy. I don’t see why not.”

Geno half wants to kiss Phil, Carl looks like he’s thinking the same thing. Yeah, he and Sid really need to do something about that soon. 

“We can go now, if you like.” Phil says. “Sundays are usually pretty quiet for them.”

“I’ll drive,” Sid says before Geno can open his mouth. “Unlike some people I actually stick to the speed limit.”

Geno sticks out his tongue. “At least I don’t almost hit fence when trying to turn around.”

“That was _one_ time, G.”

***  
Sid's never been to a wholesale place before. He tends to do a lot of his grocery shopping online just because it's easier and less hassle. He has to admit it's nice to be doing this with Geno though. He knows he keeps pushing with the donations to the shelter, and he does understand why Geno won't accept, even if it's frustrating. So at least this way Geno gets the help he needs on his terms and, honestly, all Sid wants is for Geno to be happy.

"I'm going to pick up a few things while I'm here," Phil says. "I've sent Rav a text and he says it's fine to go up to his office once we're done and have a chat."

"Really appreciate this, Phil." Geno says.

Phil shrugs. "Happy to help."

"You need groceries?" Geno asks as Phil heads over to the fruit and vegetables with Carl following close behind. "Something for dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Sid agrees and they head over to where Phil is closely examining a box of eggplants.

"The quality here is really good," Phil explains. "And we get a good discount on bulk orders for the restaurant."

Geno picks up one of the eggplants and turns it over in his hands. "You want for dinner?"

Sid can feel his face heating up as Geno slides one hand very slowly and quite deliberately up and down the very phallic looking vegetable.

"Geno," Sid hisses. "C'mon, we're in public!"

"What?" Geno asks not stopping his motions at all. "Just asking if you want healthy food for dinner. Why you so red, Sid?"

By this point, Phil and Carl have stopped their own produce discussions and are watching Sid and Geno with interest. Carl is quite blatantly trying not to laugh and failing miserably, which just makes things worse. 

Phil, at least, has a neutral face and keeps it that way until Carl finally loses it and slumps onto his shoulder, his whole body shaking with laughter. Then Phil can’t stop a fond smile from curling on his lips, and his cheeks take on a slightly pink tinge. 

Sid rolls his eyes as Carl starts laughing out loud. With the possible exception of Phil, Sid wonders how he’s come to be surrounded by so many children in adult bodies. The guys on the team aren’t much better. 

“I hate you all,” Sid mutters when Geno finally puts the eggplant down and moves on. Probably on the lookout for a weird-looking carrot to torment Sid with. 

"So, no eggplant for dinner tonight then?" Phil asks quietly enough so only Sid can hear him as they move onward towards the next section. "I guess Geno could give you some sausage instead."

Sid nearly walks into the wall. 

***

"Phil, so good to see you again."

Rav, the owner of the place, greets them all with a warm smile and a firm handshake. 

"Sorry to drop by with no notice," Phil says. "But I was hoping to do a little business with you. These are my friends, Sid and Geno."

"I know who you are, of course, Mr Crosby. Geno, it's nice to meet you."

"Geno owns an animal shelter," Phil explains. "He's running short on food for the animals and I know you're always interested in supporting local charities."

"Yes, of course. I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement," Rav says with a smile. "Come, let's talk.”

***

As soon as they’re outside the store Geno pulls Phil into a crushing hug. “Thank you, Phil. You best.”

They’ve left the store with a deal to donate several bags of dry pet food a month as well as any meat that’s gone past its sell by date. Legally the store can’t sell it but the meat is still fine and perfect to bulk up the meals for the animals. It’s more than Geno could ever have hoped for, and once again he feels so blessed to have these amazing people in his life. 

“Don’t say that in front of Sid,” Phil replies, his voice half muffled by Geno’s shoulder. “He’s really competitive.”

“Says the man who dragged me out to buy a Wii the first time he lost at Mario Kart so we could practice,” Carl says with a laugh. 

“I knew it!” Sid says, pointing an accusing finger at Phil who is still wrapped in Geno’s arms and looking like he’s struggling to breathe now. “You said it just takes you a while to get the hang of things! Geno, you might want to let Phil go before you smother him to death.”

Geno glances down and sees Phil’s face starting to turn an alarming shade of red. “Oh, sorry.”

“It does take me a while,” Phil protests as he smooths down his clothes and takes a deep breath.

“Yeah, a while, and hours and hours of practice,” Carl snorts. 

“Traitor.”

Geno slings an arm over Phil’s shoulder. “Come on, I buy us all coffee to celebrate.”

He doesn’t fail to notice the look on Carl’s face as he walks off with his arm still around Phil’s shoulders. It’s not jealousy exactly but there’s definitely something there. Geno’s now resolved to do something about this. After all, what better way to pay Phil back for his kindness than to help him resolve his feelings with Carl. 

***

“I’m have best idea, Sid! We lock Phil and Carl in fridge in restaurant. They have to share body heat to keep warm and then they kiss. Best plan.”

Sid blinks sleepily at Geno who looks remarkably awake and excited considering the excitement of yesterday’s trip had kept him up late like a kid at Christmas. “What?

“Phil and Carl. I’m think about best way to get them together. We lock them in fridge. Best plan.”

It is way too early for this. “Geno, we are not going to half kill our friends in an attempt to get them to hook up.”

Geno shakes his head. “Not hook up, Sid. More than that. They in love. I can tell.”

“That doesn’t matter, G, we’re still not locking them in a fridge. 

Geno grumbles under his breath and then gets that thoughtful look that Sid just knows means he’s coming up with a new and probably even more ridiculous plan. 

“Okay,” Geno says after a few minutes of thoughtful consideration. “I need scuba mask, watch, large hat, mug and-”

“No,” Sid interrupts. He has no idea what Geno has planned with all that stuff and honestly he doesn’t want to know. “Why is this so important to you anyway?”

Geno shrugs. “They good guys. Want them to be happy as us.”

Something warm curls in Sid’s belly. Geno looks so open and happy, how can he want to deny that to anyone else? 

“Okay,” he says. “But no crazy plans, okay? We just talk to them.”

Geno beams. “Sid best! I talk to Hags. You talk to Phil. He like you. All quiet and-”

He pulls an utterly ridiculous version of what Sid assumes is meant to be his serious captain face. 

“You’re such an asshole.”

Geno grins. “I’m best. Is why you love me.”

Yeah, Sid really does. 

***

Geno insists they go to the restaurant straight after breakfast to put his master plan into action. As soon as they’re through the door he shoots Sid a look which he hopes conveys ‘go and do your thing’ before he heads into the kitchen. 

“You busy? Need to talk to you. Very important.”

He must look desperate because Carl glances down at the menu he’s working on and sets down his pen. “Sure, Geno. What’s up?”

“Can’t talk here,” Geno replies in a stage whisper. “Is personal problem. You have time for coffee.”

“Yeah, sure. Let me just grab my coat.”

And that’s exactly why Geno wants to do this. Carl and Phil are both guys who would drop everything for their friends. How could anyone not want them to be happy, and happy means them being together. He’s sure that with a few words he’ll be able to convince Carl about his feelings for Phil, and he has no doubt that Sid’s determination to succeed in any task he’s been given will mean he’s able to get through to Phil.

“You ready?” Carl asks, emerging from the back as he shrugs into his jacket. 

Geno is more than ready.

***

It’s only when he’s alone with Phil that Sid realises just what he’s agreed to. Phil’s a great guy, and they’ve spent a lot more time together since that night in the bar after his first date with Geno - but he’s not sure they’re what he would call close friends. Plus this whole thing means talking about his feelings, and feelings are not something he is good at. But he grew up believing that if you’re not good at something you just keep working at it until you are. So, as painful as this might be, he’s not going to shy away from it. 

However, he has to take into account that Phil, who is a lot like Sid, would probably rather have a tooth pulled than talk about his feelings. 

Geno is like an enthusiastic puppy, though, and shoots Sid a look before he sweeps Carl away for lunch almost as soon as they’re through the door. 

Phil and Carl have an arrangement where one of them is always in the restaurant, so that means they have to talk while Phil gets things ready for the evening rush. Not exactly ideal but he can work with it. 

“So, Carl’s pretty great.”

Well, that’s great start. No buildup or anything. God, he’s so bad at this. 

“Yeah,” Phil agrees while he looks at anything but Sid.

He decides to just plough on. Like ripping off a band aid. 

“Did you ever think about...you know?”

He can hear Geno in his head, laughing at him. _I’m not even native English speaker and I do better job than this, Sid._

Phil is looking at him now. A blush on his cheeks and a nervous smile on his lips.

“Has Haggy said something to you?”

“What? No! Wait, about what?”

Phil lowers his eyes. “I thought maybe he sent you to tell me he’s not interested.”

Sid raises his eyebrows. “Are you serious? Geno spotted how into you Hags is less than five minutes after he met you guys. I thought maybe you weren’t interested in him but I guess you are?”

The flush on Phil’s cheeks reddens.

"Why haven't you ever said anything?"

Phil shrugs. “Have you _seen_ him?”

“Yes?” Sid frowns in confusion. He has no idea where this is going. 

“Guys like him don’t end up with guys like me.”

It’s possibly the saddest thing Sid has ever heard but Phil looks so resigned in his opinion that Sid is suddenly determined to fulfill his role in Geno’s plan.

He pulls his mind into captain mode, laying his hand gently on Phil’s arm and making sure to look him in the eyes.

“Phil, you are an amazing chef and an amazing person. I’m proud to call you my friend. I know you think you don’t deserve happiness, and I get it. Before I met Geno I thought I was lucky just to have hockey in my life. But there’s more than our jobs out there, Phil. I was lucky to meet Geno and you don’t even have to do the hard part. Carl is right there and he’s waiting for you.”

Okay so it might not be the most eloquent of speeches but he hopes it gets the point across.

Phil sighs. “Sid, I know you mean well but-”

He’s interrupted by Carl bursting into the kitchen. Geno is trailing a few feet behind him, cheeks flushed and out of breath. 

Phil starts with a look of alarm on his face. “Hags, wha-”

He’s prevented from continuing by Carl all but elbowing Sid out of the way, so that he can get close to Phil and pull him into a kiss. 

“I explain Phil like him,” Geno pants at Sid’s side. “Not believe me at first but when he do he run all the way back.”

Sid grins. “I can let you have some time with my trainer if you want. Sounds like you need it.”

He lets out a grunt when Geno elbows him sharply in the ribs but he can’t stop himself from grinning.

Phil and Carl are still kissing.

“Maybe we should go,” Sid suggests

Carl steers Phil backwards until his back hits the counter and, okay, he’s happy for them but he really doesn’t want to see whatever is going to happen next.

Geno appears to agree as he grabs Sid by the elbow and drags him out of the storage room. 

“At least they not in kitchen,” Geno offers when they’re outside. 

Sid laughs.

***

“Sid, I’m find amazing show!” Geno says enthusiastically, when they settle down on the couch after dinner. It’s been an exciting day and Geno’s still pleased that his plan paid off. Now he just wants to sit down, cuddle his boyfriend and watch some TV. But wow, Sid really does have the most boring selection of channels on his cable package and it’s always hard to find something for them to watch that isn’t documentaries or sports. Not that Geno doesn’t like sports, of course, but sometimes he wants to give Sid a break from it.

Sid doesn’t look convinced and hands Geno the remote warily. 

Geno finds the latest episode of Cake Boss and settles himself against Sid with a pleased smile. “Know how much you like cake, even if can’t eat all the time.” 

“So you decided to torture me with a show about cake?” Sid asks, but with humour in his voice. 

“Is good cake, Sid,” Geno replies. “And look, I find episode where they make hockey cake.”

Sid lets out a dubious hum but rests his head on Geno’s shoulder. When the table hockey cake is finally unveiled Geno can feel it when Sid lets out a small, impressed gasp and he smiles. 

“I want cake now,” Sid says mournfully when the episode is over.

Geno pets his arm. “Is okay, Sid. Next time you allowed we go out for cake.”

“You’re the best boyfriend, G.”

“I’m know.”

***

“Game tonight,” Sid says as they’re lying in bed. Usually he would be working out by now but it’s just that little bit harder to get out of bed when Geno is warm and curled around him. “You sure you don’t want to come?”

It’s a conversation they have every time the Penguins are playing at home. Sid offers and Geno declines. 

“Sid, you know I’m not want to. Love watching you play but can do that at home.”

He tries to understand, he really does. And he doesn’t want to be that asshole that pushes their partner into something they don’t want to do. But it’s also really important that Geno know that Sid isn’t ashamed or embarrassed by him. That he’d be proud to go out there knowing his boyfriend is watching him play.

But that’s the main reason Geno keeps refusing. 

“Want attention to be on you and your hockey, Sid. Not your Russian boyfriend.”

So Sid kisses him and lets the matter drop. 

***

Sid loves animals and that’s not something Geno had known when they’d started dating. Sometimes he talks about how much he misses his old dog, Sam, (and hadn’t Geno given him hell for naming his online dating persona after his dog) and that he’d love to have another one if he wasn’t on the road so much. Geno sometimes likes to imagine a future where he and Sid adopt a dog together. Maybe it’ll happen some day but they aren’t quite there yet, even if Geno is spending an increasing amount of time at Sid’s place. 

Sid makes a point of stopping by the shelter whenever he can. Part of it is because he wants to see Geno, but he’s always eager to help out with anything that needs doing. He’ll happily clean out litter boxes, pick up poop - he just likes to make himself useful and Geno appreciates that more than he can ever put into words..

“Sid!” Geno says almost as soon as Sid’s through the door. “Come! Want you to meet new friend.”

Geno considers all the animals in his care to be his friends. Sid chirps him about it sometimes, but always with a fond smile so he can’t bring himself to mind. 

He takes Sid by the arm and pulls him over to one of the pens. Inside is a chocolate brown Labrador.

“This Max,” Geno says. “He arrive this morning. Owners get divorced and can’t keep. Very sad. Max only two years old. Practically still puppy.”

He opens the pen and Sid crouches down. “Hey, buddy.”

Within second Sid finds himself with his arms full of wriggling dog, tail going at a hundred miles an hour as he covers Sid’s face with lickings. 

“He very social dog,” Geno explains as though that wasn’t obvious. “Likes to be around people. Need to find him good home soon.”

Sid pets Max’s head and looks up at Geno, an expression on his face that Geno knows means Sid’s had one of his ideas.

“Come to the game tonight.”

“Sid, no, I’m-”

“Not for me,” Sid interrupts. “I mean it’ll be great having you there of course. But I was thinking we could do a five minute slot for Pens TV and you can talk about the shelter. You’ll get loads of people wanting to adopt your friends. I bet you won’t have anyone left by the end of tomorrow.”

Geno looks wary. “Not sure, Sid. Don’t want lots of crazy people.”

“You run background checks on people before you give them an animal, right?”

Geno nods.

“Okay, and if you need extra volunteers I bet I can rope some of the guys into helping. There’s a whole bunch of them that are crazy about animals. They’d probably pay you to let them do it.”

Geno looks down at Max who is now happily having his back scratched by Sid. He’d do anything for his friends, even if he means appearing on TV with his boyfriend.

“I’m not talk about us or relationship.”

Sid nods. “Of course. I’ll make it clear we’re there to talk about the shelter and that’s it. Does that mean you’ll do it?”

Sid looks so earnest and hopeful that Geno feels like his heart is about to explode. How is he lucky enough to have such a caring boyfriend?. “Okay, Sid, We do. I’m know this is just to get me to game but if it helps adoption we do.”

Sid leans over and presses a soft kiss to Geno’s lips. “It’s not just about getting you to the game, G. This shelter is important to you so it’s important to me too.”

Geno’s pretty sure it’s not possible for him to be any more in love. 

***

Sid’s trying not to hover but Geno looks a little overwhelmed by the cameras and microphones that are being set up in front of him. He takes Geno’s hand in his and gives it a reassuring squeeze. 

“What if I’m forget English.” Geno murmurs.

“Then we’ll do it again,” Sid promises. “This isn’t live, Geno. We’ll do it until you’re happy with it, okay? I’ve worked with most of these guys for years. They’re good guys and they’ll make sure this spot is perfect, I promise.”

Geno nods and sort of relaxes but there’s still a stiffness in his shoulders that Sid is desperate to rub away. 

“We’re about ready, Sid.” Mike the camera operator tells him. “You guys good?”

Sid nods and doesn’t let go of Geno’s hand. 

“The cameras will only be shooting our faces,” he says when Geno sends him a questioning look. “Squeeze my hand as much as you want if it helps.”

Geno gives his hand a gentle squeeze and finally seems to relax a little. 

“Okay, we’re ready,” Sid says and Mike counts them in.

Sid takes a deep breath and then slides into the media face he’s been cultivating since he was a teenager.

“The Pittsburgh Penguins support many charitable organizations, both national and local. Today I want to talk about one that’s close to my heart - Pittsburgh Animal Family. There are hundreds of animals out there who need a loving home and Pittsburgh Animal Family is a non-profit no-kill shelter that works hard to find these animals a new family. I’m here with Evgeni Malkin who is the owner of the shelter.”

Geno nods and then grins at the camera. “Sid practice long time to learn how you say Evgeni. Most people call me Geno.”

Sid laughs at that. All of Geno’s nervousness seems to have melted away. He’s a natural at this.

“Sid right though. We have many animals in need of good homes. Cats, dogs, even have few rabbits and a hamster. They kind and friendly animals who need people who love them as much as I do. If I could I’m adopt them all but only have small apartment. Can’t share bed with 30 dogs even if want to.”

Sid grins and gives Geno’s hand another squeeze.

“So, if you’d like to meet Geno and adopt one of his furry friends the phone number of the shelter is on the screen. Thank you for your support.”

There’s a brief pause and then Mike signals that they’re good.

“Geno, you were amazing! You had nothing to be nervous about at all.”

Geno blushes. “Still nervous Sid, but important for animals I do this. I’m think ‘how would Sid do this’ and that’s what I’m do.”

“Yeah, but I’ve been training how to do this since I was a kid. You were great!”

Mike approaches them with a smile. “Great work, guys. I’ll get this over to the media team and I’m sure they’ll be in touch to let you know when it’s going out.”

Sid shakes Mike’s hand as he always does after they’ve done one of these spots. “Thanks for all your help, Mike.”

He turns back to Geno. “I’d better go and get ready. You’re staying for the game, yeah?”

Geno nods with a dramatic weary sigh. “Yes, Sid, I’m stay and watch you be best at hockey.”

Sid grins. “I’ll have someone show you down to your seat. I’ll score a goal for you.”

Geno pouts. “Only one? Thought you loved me, Sid. Expect hat trick for my first game.”

Sid laughs. “Okay, I’ll try! See you after the game.”

He presses a kiss to Geno’s lips and then heads back to the locker room with a bounce in his step. He knows the guys are going to chirp him so bad about Geno being here and he doesn’t even care. 

***

It’s strange to actually be here instead of watching the game at home. It’s even stranger when he’s shown to a front row seat and for a moment all he can do is stand there and stare at the ice. He’s so close he can practically smell it.

“First game?” The woman in the seat next to his looks up at him with a kind smile. 

“Yeah,” Geno replies as he finally takes his seat.

“It was weird for me too. I was so used to watching it on TV and then bam I’m right here.” She extends her hand to him. “I’m Wendy.”

“Evgeni. But can call me Geno.”

She offers him her bag of popcorn. “So, which one’s yours, Geno?”

“One?”

“Well, you’re sitting in the family section so I figured you’re with one of the guys.”

Geno is going to kill Sid. He’s sure it was well intentioned but how many times does he have to say that he doesn’t want their relationship to take attention away from Sid’s game. They will most definitely be having a conversation after the game. 

The players skate out onto the ice and, okay, Geno might be mad at Sid but seeing him on the ice like this and so close sends a thrill through his whole body. He can’t stop the huge grin from spreading across his face when Sid skates past and tips him a nod.

Wendy shoots him a look but, mercifully, doesn’t say anything. He’s quite sure all the other family members will hear about him before the end of the week but there’s nothing he can do about it now. 

Even though he’s Russian he stands for the national anthem. He’s so ready for this now.

***

It’s a tough game. The Habs are playing well and neither team scores in the first period. Sully gives them a talking to during the break - offers some suggestions and assures them they’ve got this. Sid knows they can do it, but it pumps up some of the younger players and they head back onto the ice with a fresh look of determination on their faces. 

Sully’s words clearly had an effect because less than three minutes into the second period Conor scores. As Sid tackles him in a hug he sees Geno going nuts behind the glass and that just strengthens his resolve to score a goal for him.

The Habs equalise a few minutes later and Sid knows they need to get this done. He spots an opening and goes for it, the puck on his stick and the goal in his sights. He’s aware that he’s been flanked by both the Habs and a couple of teammates and they all come together a few feet away from the goal. 

Everyone is scrambling to get the puck from him but before he can pass everything lurches and he finds himself on his side, sliding towards the boards. When he comes to a stop with a thud he lies there for a moment and takes stock of everything. He hasn’t hit his head, which is the biggest relief, and he’s probably going to have some impressive bruises from where he fell. What concerns him is the growing awareness of pain in his right ankle. 

He can already tell that whatever he’s done is not good and he knows better than to try and get up so he lies there until the medics skate over to him.

“My ankle,” he says and gestures to his right leg. They poke and prod him for a few minutes before announcing they’ll need to get him to the hospital for an x-ray to determine the extent of the injury.

They help him up but tell him not to put any weight on his right foot and they steer him off the ice. 

As he’s loaded into an ambulance the only thing Sid can think of is that his friends, his family and his team will be worried. Geno will be worried. Before the ambulance pull away Jason climbs in and gives his hand a squeeze.

“Hey, Sid. Hope it’s okay if I tag along and see what the doctors say. Whatever it is you’ll be back on the ice before you know it, I’m sure.”

Sid knows that not a guarantee Jason can make, and Jason clearly know that too. But Sid plays along, nods and agrees. 

“You know Kelsey keeps asking after you. Next time you come over to use the boat you might have to take her out with you, or at least let her show you her play diagrams.”

Sid flashes Jason a smile but can’t quite bring himself to make small talk even if he does appreciate the distraction. 

They don’t speak for the rest of the trip but Jason keeps his hand resting on top of Sid’s. It’s a comforting presence although Sid would never admit that out loud. 

***

Geno can only watch helplessly as Sid is helped off the ice, his face twisted in pain. While he wants nothing more than to go to Sid he has no idea where they’re taking him, or even if he’d even be allowed to see him. As far as he knows, even though he’s been seated in the family section, no one actually knows that he’s Sid’s boyfriend. 

“Are you okay?” Wendy asks from beside him, laying a gentle hand on his arm. “I know I promised I wouldn’t pry but you look like you’re going to throw up.”

Geno nods numbly as play on the ice resumes. Without Sid.

“Think I need some fresh air.”

He grabs his coat and heads towards the exit before Wendy can stop him or offer to come with him. He needs to be alone right now. 

Outside the air is cool enough for him to need to shrug into his coat but not unbearable. He can still hear the muted game coming from inside as he paces up and down, reaching for the phone in his pocket so he can tap out a text.

_Hit look bad. Let me know you okay_

He’s still at a loss for what to do. Sid might still be inside, he might be at the hospital. He doesn’t know. 

No reply to his text, which he wasn’t really expecting, and he can’t stand out here all night. On the chance that Sid is still in the building he decides to go back to his seat. Even though watching the rest of the game is the last thing he wants to do, there’s a chance someone might announce what’s happened to Sid. 

He takes a deep breath, keeps his phone clutched tightly in his hand and heads back inside.

***

 

While he’s waiting to have his ankle x-rayed, the doctors offer Sid some painkillers. He hates taking them. He hates how the make him feel, the fact that he’s not fully in control of his body, and the fact that afterwards he can’t remember some of the things he does while under the influence. 

Flower had chirped him for weeks after the time he’d gone in to wish the team good luck before a game and had apparently given a rousing speech about how much he loved them all. He was just glad it was back before most cellphones could take video.

He wants to decline the pills but Jason gives him a look, and if there’s one thing that’s his weakness, it’s that he can’t stand anyone being disappointed in him.

“There’s no shame in getting help with the pain,” Jason says before Sid can voice any further objections. “And I know you don’t like how they make you feel but it’ll help in the long term. And I’ll be right here to keep an eye on you, okay?”

Sid closes his eyes and nods but his eyes snap open when the nurse places a couple of pills in front of him with a glass of water. 

“I need my phone,” he tells Jason. 

Jason nods. “I’ll have someone bring it over. You want me to call anyone for you? Your parents?”

“Yeah, let them know what’s happening but can you text Geno too? He was at the game and he’ll be worried.”

Sid hates that Geno’s first game experience has been ruined like this, especially given how long it’s taken to get him to come to one. 

Jason pats Sid’s hand. “Take your pills, okay? I’ll make sure everyone knows what’s happening.”

Sid pops the pills in his mouth and washes them down with a glass of water. They’re strong and it doesn’t take long for them to kick in. It starts with a lightheaded, woozy feeling and then gets worse from there. It’s not unlike being really, really drunk. Things fade in and out of focus and he loses awareness of what’s happening around him. 

He’s vaguely aware of being taken for his x-ray and then taken back to his bed. Jason is talking, then there’s a hand clutching his, fingers raking through his hair and he thinks the news must be really bad if Jason is petting him like this. He wants to reassure him that whatever has happened they’ll work through it. They’re Penguins and they can do anything.

***

“Geno! Jason, this is my Geno!”

Geno honestly hadn’t known what to expect when he’d got a text from Sid’s phone about an hour after Sid had been taken off the ice. 

_This is Jason. I’m with Sid. He’s waiting for an xray but if you want to come over to the hospital I can make sure you’re allowed to see him._

_I be there soon._

He’d prepared himself for every possibility but what he hadn’t expected when he was ushered into Sid’s room was to find him glazed eyed with a dopey smile on his face.

“This is why he hates taking the strong painkillers,” Jason explains with an apologetic shrug. “They make him like this.”

Geno’s mouth twists in sympathy. He can only imagine how it must feel for Sid, a man who likes to be in control of everything, to have that control taken away.

He sits down on the edge of the bed and takes Sid’s hand in his. “How you feel?”

“I feel _great_! Do you want to go skating? We should go skating!”

For half a second Geno is worried Sid is actually going to try and get out of bed to take them skating. Instead Sid is apparently content to just lie there and gaze at Geno with the most lovestruck look on his face that it actually makes Geno’s chest hurt. 

“Maybe later, Sid,” he finally replies, his voice thick.

“Okay.” Sid’s pout is so ridiculous that Geno has to bite down on his lip to stop himself from laughing. 

“We got the x-ray results while you were on your way over,” Jason says when it becomes apparent Sid just wants to lie there and stroke Geno’s hand. “Just a sprain so he can go home. I’m happy to take him, but I thought maybe you’d like to do it.”

“Yes, I’m take.” Geno replies, relieved on Sid’s behalf that the injury isn’t anything more serious. “You ready to go home, Sid?”

Sid’s response is to take Geno’s hand, kiss it, then nuzzle it like it’s a kid’s security blanket. Geno takes that as a yes. 

It takes both him and Jason together to manhandle Sid into his clothes. Apparently he has zero interest in getting dressed and keeps trying to pet Geno’s hair - which is quite the feat given Sid is sitting on the edge of the bed and Geno is standing above him. He seems determined to try though and finally Geno gives in with a resigned sigh and sits down beside him while Jason disappears to find a wheelchair. 

“What’s that for?” Sid asks when Jason comes back. He doesn’t sound mad, just curious. 

“You hurt ankle, remember?” Geno says. “Need to keep it rested. Come on, I help.”

Sid apparently doesn’t understand that he can’t put weight on his ankle and as soon as he tries to stand up Geno moves forward and picks Sid up. 

“You’re carrying me,” Sid breathes in awe as Geno moves over to where the wheelchair is waiting. “Like I’m your bride.”

“Might not have personal gym but I work out. Carry large sacks of animal food too. You not that heavy.”

Geno settles Sid down in the wheelchair before he can continue that line of thought and wheels him out of the room.

“Someone from the Penguins will probably be in touch tomorrow,” Jason says when they pause at the exit of the hospital. “Just to talk about a rehabilitation plan. I imagine they’ll have him rest for a few days and then have him come in to see how things are looking.”

“I stay with him,” Geno says as though that was in question. 

“I figured you would,” Jason replies. “Okay, I’d better get back. It was nice to finally meet you, even if it wasn’t under the best circumstances.”

Geno shakes Jason’s hand, waits for him to disappear out of sight, and then wheels Sid over to to where Geno had parked his car.

“Where’s my car?” Sid asks with a frown.

“Still at CONSOL,” Geno replies as he lifts Sid into the passenger seat. “We get it later. It safe there.”

“Okay.”

The drive back to Sid’s place is quiet, Sid dozing with his head resting against the window. He doesn’t stir when they pull up outside so Geno carefully picks him up and carries him inside, grateful that Sid’s house is fenced off so there’s no one to see him carrying Sid around like a swooning maiden. 

Geno eyes the stairs once they’re inside. He could probably manage to carry Sid up to his own bedroom but honestly he doesn’t want to risk it. Instead he carries Sid through to one of the downstairs guest bedrooms and settles him down on the bed. Sid lets out a sleepy murmur but doesn’t show any signs of waking. 

Geno tugs the comforter over him and just sits there for a moment, listening to the sound of Sid’s breathing and reassuring himself that Sid is here, and more or less okay. 

“Geno?” Sid’s hand snakes out from under the covers and grabs hold of his wrist. “Are you coming to bed?”

“Yes, Sid, be there in a minute.”

“‘kay.”

Sid’s hand slips away as he drifts back to sleep and Geno carefully tucks it back under the covers before heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth before bed. 

***

 

Sid wakes up feeling like something has died in his mouth. It’s pretty disgusting and he wants nothing more than to rinse with an entire bottle of mouthwash.

“Sid? You awake?”

Sid cautiously opens his eyes. He doesn’t have the other feelings usually associated with a hangover.

He’s at home, in one of his guest beds, which feels wrong but he can’t put his finger on why. 

“Sid?”

It’s Geno, and Geno being here doesn’t seem quite right either. 

“Geno? Did something happen?”

There’s a sigh and the bed dips beside him. “Doctor say you might not remember. Got hurt in game. Went to hospital. They think at first that you break ankle but is only sprain. Does it hurt?”

Sid concentrates for a moment. Flexes one ankle, then the other and yeah, okay, ow.

The weight lifts from the bed when Sid can’t stop a moan of pain. 

“Doctors give you pain medication. Jason say you not want but should take.”

Sid bites his lip. “Just give me a second G. Still trying to get my head together.”

He closes his eyes and just takes a moment to take stock. He’s more or less in one piece, clearly not injured badly enough that the hospital needed to keep him overnight. He’s dealt with sprains before. Just needs to keep it rested and iced for a few days. 

He opens his eyes. Geno is standing beside the bed chewing on his bottom lip.

“I’m okay,” Sid assures him. “Did Jason call you?”

If anything Geno looks even more concerned. “He text. Say you make him promise before you take painkillers. I so worried, Sid. Saw you fall and then not get up again.”

Sid offers his hand to Geno who takes it gratefully. “Hey, I’m okay.”

Geno glances at his ankle and frowns. 

“Okay,” Sid corrects. “I’m mostly okay. And I’m glad you’re here.”

“Glad I here, too, Sid. I’m take care of you. Mike Sullivan say he come by later.”

Sid nods. “Okay, I should probably shower.”

There’s a lingering smell of sweat combined with the antiseptic from the hospital. All together it’s pretty gross. Maybe that’s why Geno is still standing next to the bed instead of being in it with him. 

Geno grins. “That’s why I’m wait for you to wake up before showering. Can’t shower alone, Sid. Might fall.”

If anything the grin on Geno’s face becomes even more wicked and, God, Sid loves him so much.

“Yeah,” he replies with his most innocent expression. “I wouldn’t want to explain to Sully that I escaped with a sprained ankle only to break something slipping in the shower.”

“Can’t have that,” Geno agrees. “Good thing I here to help.”

Between them they manage to get Sid upright and keep his ankle elevated as they hobble into into the bathroom. Geno gets Sid sat on the toilet while he gets the shower running and then strips before turning back to Sid with that wicked grin on his face again. 

“You need help with clothes?”

Sid’s pretty sure he could manage, but where would the fun be in that when Geno is standing naked in front of him?

“Well, I’d hate to slip and fall while trying to take my clothes off.”

Geno snorts but helps Sid take off his t-shirt and then helps him back to his feet to tackle his boxers. 

There’s not a lot Sid can do except hold onto Geno as Geno gets to his knees and carefully slides Sid’s boxers down his hips and over his ass until they pool around his one ankle on the floor. 

Geno smirks up at him from his knees and Sid swallows hard. 

He lets out an audible moan when Geno gets back to his feet instead. 

“You injured. Also, sweaty and gross. Blow you later when you lying down.”

Sid pouts which causes Geno to laugh.

“Come on. I wash your hair, maybe give you massage.”

Sid sighs and allows Geno to help him into the shower. The hot water on his tired muscles feels pretty good but Geno’s hands in his hair and on his wet skin feel even better.

***

Once they’re dried and dressed they head into the kitchen for breakfast. 

“You sit. I cook,” Geno instructs, already steering Sid towards the couch. Usually when they have breakfast at Sid’s place they eat on stools in the kitchen but Sid needs to keep his foot iced and elevated, so they’ll have to change up the routine until his ankle has healed. 

“Do you mind if I watch last night’s game? I still don’t know what happened or if we won.”

The last thing Geno wants is to watch Sid get injured again, but he knows it’s important for Sid to see and he figures he can keep himself busy in the kitchen for at least the first period. 

“Is fine. I’m cook.”

He disappears into the kitchen before Sid can reply

*** 

The first period is just finishing when Geno sets a plate of eggs and some toast down in front of him before carefully taking a seat beside him. Sid’s fingers hover over the remote. He really wants to watch this but he can appreciate Geno might not want to see him get injured again. If it was the other way around he doesn’t think he’d want to watch video of Geno being hurt. 

“I can turn this off,” he offers. 

Geno shakes his head. “Is okay. You here.”

They watch the game in silence. Sid feels a surge of pride when Conor scores and takes mental notes on their defence when the Habs equalise. 

A few minutes later Sid watches himself skating down the rink with the puck on his stick and he can tell from the way Geno tenses in his seat that it’s about to happen. 

It’s fast. Two of the Habs are on him with Conor and Horny following close behind and then they’re all scrambling from the puck. When Sid goes down he still can’t really tell what happened. The cameras stick with him until the medical staff are on the ice and then they go to a slow-mo replay. With the closeup, it’s clear that while trying to deflect one of the Habs sticks Conor had got his own stick caught in Sid’s skate, causing his ankle to twist. That’s where the sprain came from. 

“It was an accident,” he says half for himself and half for Geno, whose mouth is pressed in a tight line. 

In a way, he’s glad it was Conor. With his own team, he is 100% sure it was an accident and that no one was deliberately trying to hurt him. He can’t always say that about the other teams, which is something he just sort of accepts now. He knows Conor will be beating himself up about this and makes a mental note to call him later. 

He reaches over and gives Geno’s hand a squeeze. Once Sid has been helped off the ice gameplay resumes. Sid hates to say it but they’re playing even better without him, apparently fuelled by determination from his injury. The Habs barely get near the goal after that and Rusty scores towards the end of the third. 

“I stay for game,” Geno says quietly when it’s over, “but not really see. Too worried.”

“Sorry,” Sid says and gives his hand another squeeze.

“Not your fault,” Geno replies. “I’m follow hockey long time. Know players get hurt lots. Different when there though.”

There’s nothing Sid can say to that.

***

Mike Sullivan stops by before lunch to check on Sid, and Geno vanishes into the kitchen to make some coffee and get a fresh ice pack for Sid’s ankle while they talk.

“Geno’s taking care of me,” Sid says when Geno emerges from the kitchen, sets down the coffee and replaces the ice pack. 

“We’ll get you in with our guys this afternoon,” Sullivan says. “I know you’re keen to get back out on the ice but you know not to rush things, don’t you.”

“I make sure he do what they say,” Geno promises and Sullivan smiles at him. All things considered he thinks he’s doing a pretty good job of not freaking out because Mike Sullivan is sat here talking to him almost like they’re old friends. Logically he knows that, like Sid, Sullivan is just a person. But it’s _Mike Sullivan_. Geno knows as well as everything the amazing coaching work Sullivan has done with the Penguins. They totally turned their game around in a few short months and look well on their way to being contenders for the Cup this year. It’s hard not to be in awe of the man. 

Sullivan grins at him. “Well, I know that if you won’t do what the doctors say, I can trust you'll do what Geno says.”

Sid looks offended but at this point in their relationship Geno knows it’s true. All he would have to do would be to look at him with sad puppy eyes and Sid will fold. From the look on Sid’s face, he knows it too. 

“Poor Sid. So used to being Captain. Not used to being bossed around.”

Sullivan laughs and claps Geno on the back. “That’s why you boys are so good for each other. Okay, I’m going to head off but let me know if you need anything.”

Sid nods, and Geno gets up to show Sullivan out.

“Oh,” Sid says, before either of them have moved. “Have you spoken to Conor? I watched the tape this morning. He knows it was an accident, right?”

“I told him,” Sullivan replies. “Everyone told him. Not sure he believes us though. You know how it is. It’d be like you accidentally tripping Mario in your rookie year.”

Sid’s face twists in a grimace. “I was going to call him later or maybe I’ll pop in after practice once I’ve seen the doctors.”

Sullivan smiles. “I’m sure he’d appreciate that and I’m sure the rest of the team would love to see you as well.”

“We go,” Geno says. “I drive Sid to CONSOL later and we see team after.”

Sid looks at them both for a second and then a look of horror crosses his face. “Geno! Aren’t you supposed to be at work? We promoted the shelter last night. It must be so busy!”

Geno gives Sid’s shoulder a reassuring rub. “Relax, Sid. Spoke to PR people this morning while you sleeping. They say they not air slot until we ready. Kirsten at shelter is managing for a few days while I’m take care of you. All okay. Promise.”

He feels Sid relax under his touch although there’s still an unhappy frown on his face. 

“Stop worry,” Geno says. “I want to be here, with you. Kirsten very good. She be fine and if not she call. Okay?”

Sid nods. “Okay.”

Sullivan gives Geno another pat on the shoulder and heads back to the door. “I’ll see you boys later.”

Geno shows Sullivan out and then heads back over to the couch. 

“Lunch first, then we go to CONSOL later?”

Sid nods. “I’ll call the medical team and let them know we’re coming.”

Geno carefully pokes the ice pack on Sid’s ankle. It’s already starting to melt. “Need more ice or you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Sid replies. 

“I cook lunch. You find something to watch.”

They settle on an episode of Say Yes To The Dress. It’s one they’ve seen before but it’s nice to just relax and have some background noise while they eat.

“Families always so mean,” Geno huffs as a mother tears down a dress that the bride clearly loves. “Why families not want bride to be happy?”

Sid shrugs. “I’m pretty sure a lot of it is staged for dramatic effect.”

“If we get marry I choose most ugly suit. Mama and Papa still say they love.”

It was just a casual comments but at soon as the words leave his mouth, Sid freezes, his fork hovering in mid-air. Shit. Geno knows he should take it back, reassure Sid that is was only a joke. But the idea of marrying Sid - not now, but some time in the future - isn’t exactly unappealing to him and he doesn’t want Sid to think he hates the idea. 

Geno glances at him. “Sid? You okay?”

“You’re not wearing an ugly suit to our wedding,” Sid finally says and finishes putting his fork in his mouth. Geno melts with relief that Sid apparently isn’t freaking out or revolted by the idea of possibly marrying him.

He grins before pretending to cry. “You not want me to be happy in my most ugly suit. You worse than mean families on show.”

Sid laughs.

***

The Penguins medical team check him over but don’t tell him anything he doesn’t already know. His ankle is sprained. He needs to keep it rested, elevated and iced. He’ll be out for two games and they’ll check him again after that.

It’s a quick appointment so they go down into the box and watch the end of practice. The team is playing well and not for the first time, nor the last, Sid is so proud to be part of such an amazing group of players. 

When they’re winding down from practice Geno helps Sid into the locker room so they can wait for everyone. 

Cheers erupt when Sid hobbles into the locker room aided by Geno. 

“Just wanted to make sure you’re all training hard without me,” Sid teases as he takes a seat in his stall. Geno disappears to find something to rest his foot on while everyone claps Sid on the back while simultaneously telling him how lazy he is for sitting out the next two games. 

Sid’s aware that Conor is hanging towards the back of the group, face pale as he chews on his lip.

“Hey,” Sid says, keeping his tone light and casual. “You were good at practice today.”

Sensing that this is a conversation that needs a little privacy the rest of the team file away leaving Conor standing in front of Sid.

“Sid, I-”

“It was an accident,” Sid interrupts before Conor can say anything else. “It could have happened to anyone. It could have been anyone. Don’t beat yourself up, okay? Keep up with the training and we’ll be back on a line together soon.”

Geno comes back into the room at that point, carrying a box and a cushion that he’s rummaged up from somewhere. He sets them down in front of Sid and stares at him until Sid has propped up his ankle. 

“Okay?” Geno asks and Sid nods.

Conor is still hovering and catches Geno’s eyes as he’s moving away.

“I’m sorry.”

Geno freezes, eyes Conor for a second.

“You trip Sid on purpose?”

Conor looks startled for a moment then shakes his head. “No?”

“You not sound sure.”

“No.” Conor says firmly. “Of course not.”

“You glad he out for next couple games?”

Conor looks horrified by the very idea. “What? No!”

“Then nothing to be sorry for. I’m not blame you, Sid not blame you, so you not blame you, okay?”

“Okay.”

Sid just watches the whole conversation with amazement. Conor is standing straighter and the look of guilt on his face has melted away. 

Every time Sid thinks it’s not possible for him to love Geno more, Geno somehow manages to prove him wrong. 

The team all offers Sid more well wishes and Conor even smiles before they all file out and Geno helps Sid hobble back to the car. 

“Cake boss?” Geno asks when he’s got Sid settled back on the couch at home. 

Sid nods and lets out a contented hum as Geno settles in beside him. This is nice. Definitely better than his recuperation from any of his other injuries. 

***

Phil and Carl come over at lunchtime the next day, having finally managed to get away from the restaurant for a while. Geno can’t help but smile as they sit on the couch and casually hold hands as they talk about their week. He’s so glad that his plan paid off.

“And then Boris says ‘well, at home is okay. Don’t see what is such big deal’.”

Geno roars with laughter. “Can tell he Russian.”

Phil offers to cook, which Sid tries to decline because cooking is Phil’s job and it’s his day off.

“Just let him,” Carl says. “Honestly, it’s not work for him. He loves this shit.”

“Okay,” Sid finally concedes. “But nothing too complicated. I don’t want you spending all afternoon in the kitchen.”

Phil disappears and after about ten minutes Carl vanishes to help. 

“I bet they making out in the kitchen,” Geno whispers with a grin. “Maybe they have sex on counter.”

“What?” Sid asks with a horrified look on his face. “Geno! Go and check!”

“I’m not check!” Geno replies, scandalised. “Not want to see dicks right before lunch.”

Sid lets out an unhappy moan, and then shoots Geno a wicked grin. “Well, if you won’t go I guess I’ll have to go and check for myself.”

He moves like he’s about to get up and grins even harder when Geno’s hand plants firmly on his chest and pushes him back. Damn, Sid really knows how to play him. 

“Sorry, Sid. I only joke. Sure they not having sex.”

“Who’s not having sex?” Carl asks as he wanders back into the living room with a plate in each hand. Phil is right behind him carrying the other two plates. Their clothes don’t look rumpled and there’s no signs that they’ve been doing anything but cooking lunch. 

“No one,” Sid replies with a blush. “Geno’s just being an ass.”

Geno sticks his tongue out at him but then gets distracted by the sandwiches Phil has made. On the surface it just looks like a grilled cheese sandwich but he’s included some kind of sauce that gives it a bit of a tang and Geno can’t get enough of it. 

“I’d eat these all the time,” Sid moans happily. “But my nutritionist would murder me.”

“It okay,” Geno says around a mouthful of food. “I eat for you next time. Describe how good it is.”

Phil laughs, his cheeks flushed red over the praise of his sandwiches. “I’m glad you like them.”

Carl leans over and presses a kiss to Phil’s cheek. “Told you this was a winner. I wanted to put these on the menu but Phil didn’t think they were good enough. He wanted to test them on someone who wasn’t me.”

“I’m volunteer to test food for you,” Geno says as he clears his plate. “Best job.”

“There you go,” Carl says. “Do you trust Geno not to lie about whether something is good or not?”

“I trust you,” Phil murmurs with lowered eyes. “I just worry you’re being nice because we’re...you know.”

Carl sets his plate down and turns so that he’s facing Phil. “Phil, I love you. But I swear to you I will be nothing but honest with you about your food. I know how much it means to you and I’d never let you put anything that wasn’t perfect on your menu, okay?”

Phil nods and Carl leans over again and kisses him on the lips this time. 

“I still get to taste test though, yes?” Geno asks after a moment. 

Everyone laughs and the remaining tension in the room vanishes. 

***

The next few days are surprisingly easy. Usually when Sid is injured he goes crazy wishing he was practising with the team and playing in their games. While there’s still a bit of longing in his heart having Geno there helps a lot. 

They shower together in the morning, just so Sid doesn’t slip and fall of course, have breakfast together and then Geno ices Sid’s ankle while they watch Cake Boss until lunch time. 

By this point Sid’s starting to get antsy. He’s no good at just sitting still for hours at a time, so Geno acts as a crutch and they hobble down to Sid’s gym. He might not be able to put weight on his foot but there’s plenty of other workouts he can do, especially if Geno is there to spot him. 

“You want to join me?” Sid asks as Geno helps settle Sid down on one of the arm bikes. It’s a little awkward with Sid having to keep his foot elevated at the same time but they manage it. 

“No, I’m just watch,” Geno replies, stepping back when he’s seemingly satisfied that Sid is comfortable. “Make sure you not fall and injure yourself more.”

Sid stares at him for a second and then flashes him a wicked grin. “Well, if you’re just going to stand there and watch you can hold this for me.”

Deliberately slowly he peels off his shirt and tosses it in Geno’s direction, swallowing back the laughter when he sees the choked look on Geno’s face.

Geno clears his throat and audibly swallows. “You always work out with no shirt on?”

“Nope,” Sid replies, putting his best innocent face on show. “Just when I have an audience.”

He starts peddling then, turning his attention to his workout but not before he hears Geno’s muttered. “I get you back for this, Sid.”

True to his word once Sid has finished working out, his body feeling satisfyingly sore, Geno helps him to the bathroom and then stands outside while Sid showers instead of joining him like he usually does.

“You’re only punishing yourself, you know,” Sid calls through and then pouts all the way through the quickest shower he has ever taken. 

They play X-Box until dinner and Geno laughs at how competitive Sid is. Geno fixes them dinner, they watch a movie and then head to bed. Sid decides all is forgiven when Geno pulls him into his arms and presses a kiss to the top of his head. It’s hard to stay mad lying in the arms of the man he loves. 

Sid has explained to Geno how important routine is to him, so it goes like that every day until it’s time to get his ankle checked again by the Penguins doctors. He feels like it’s okay. He hasn’t tried to walk on it at all (the fact that Geno wouldn’t let him probably helped) but there’s always that nervous feeling that they’re going to tell him it’s something worse or that it hasn’t healed right. 

His medical appointment is over pretty fast. They feel his ankle, get him to walk on it a bit, feel it some more and declare that he’s fit to skate again. 

Just like that it’s over and when he heads back outside Geno is waiting for him.

“I’m clear,” he says. “I’ll be playing in the next game tomorrow.”

Geno smiles. “Good news, Sid! You best at healing from injury.”

Sid can’t help but laugh. Geno is so ridiculous. 

“I’m drive you home and then head back to apartment. Give you your space back.”

Sid’s smile drops. He’d been so focussed on healing and enjoying having Geno around that he hadn’t considered that Geno would head home.

The drive home is mostly quiet, with Sid lost in his own head. He’s lived alone ever since he moved out of Mario’s and, honestly, he’s liked it that way. He can do what he wants when he wants, and not worry about anyone getting in the way of his routines. Now, though, after just a few days, the idea of his house not having Geno in it just feels wrong. 

“Come on,” Geno says when they get home, jarring Sid out of his thoughts. “We move your things back into upstairs bedroom.”

It isn’t much, just some clothes and toiletries, but Geno insists on helping before packing up his own bag ready to head home. 

“Lunch first?” Sid says, desperate beyond all measure to delay Geno leaving. “I’ll make it. Seems only fair after you’ve done all the cooking for the past few days.”

Geno stares at him for a moment and then smiles. “We do together. Come on.”

Working together with Geno to make lunch just makes Sid feel worse. They’re so comfortable around each other. Passing things the other needs, dancing around each other so they don’t collide while grabbing plates and pans. 

“Are you going back to the shelter tomorrow?” Sid asks, trying to make polite conversation while his heart feels like it’s breaking. He’s being ridiculous, he knows this. Geno’s only been here for a few days, and it’s not like they’re breaking up or anything. Geno has his own home and his own life and Sid can’t monopolise him no matter how much he wants to. 

Can he?

“Sid, you okay?” Geno asks, setting down his knife and fork. “Look so sad.”

“Move in with me.”

Okay, he hadn’t intended to just blurt it out like that. He’d wanted to test the waters first, see if it was something Geno would be interested in.

“What?”

Geno is staring at him now and Sid can’t tell if it’s in a good way or a bad way.

“Move in with me?” He says again. “I’ve really liked having you here and I have all this space and I don’t want you to go and-”

The words are rushing out of him now and he can’t seem to stop them until Geno silences him with a kiss.

“Sid silly. You think I’m say no?”

Honestly, Sid hadn’t really had time to think about what Geno’s response way going to be. The words had come out of his mouth before his brain even had a chance to engage. This is why he was given media training from a young age, because without it, he just says shit without thinking.

Geno kisses him again. “Sid?”

“Sorry, zoned out for a second there.”

“Because you so happy that I’m say yes to living with you?” There’s a grin on Geno’s face that he’s aching to kiss away. Except Geno now has a frown on his face. Oh, god, has he changed his mind already?

“Geno?”

Geno’s frown deepens. “You wait until I pack before asking me to move in? Worst boyfriend.”

The relieved laughter explodes from Sid before he can stop it. 

“Think of it as practise for when you pack up your apartment.”

Sid is so happy he feels like he could burst. They’re really doing this! 

“You not help?” Geno asks with a pout. “You need the exercise after lying around past few days while I do everything.”

Sid grins. “Everything, eh? Well, I’d better make it up to you then.”

He takes Geno’s hand and gives it a gentle tug. “Come on, I haven’t been in my bed for days. Help me remember what it looks like.”

Geno looks so eager that Sid’s half convinced he’s going to sweep him off his feet and carry him up the stairs. Instead Geno smiles softly, leans down and kisses him.

“Love you, Sid. So much.”

“Me too, G. Me too.”

**Epilogue**

Sid might be a morning person but that doesn’t mean he reacts well at being woken up before his alarm goes off. 

“Geno,” he murmurs, reaching out and poking Geno’s arm. “S’your turn.”

Geno, however, is dead to the world and the noise which woke Sid is growing more insistent. 

He sighs and rolls out of bed, padding to the door and almost getting knocked over by seventy pounds of labrador whimpering excitedly.

“I can’t believe you need to pee again,” Sid murmurs half to himself and half to Max who charges downstairs as soon as he realises Sid is following him. 

Geno had warned him when they’d made the decision to adopt Max that the first few months would be pretty similar to what he imagined having a baby to be like. 

He wasn’t wrong. 

Max darts into the garden as soon as Sid opens the back door and runs back in a few minutes later, tail wagging excitedly as he sits at Sid’s feet waiting to be petted. 

Sid might complain, mostly to himself, about the middle of the night wake up calls but he doesn’t regret their choice for a minute. Max, as he’d demonstrated in the shelter, is the most affectionate dog Sid has ever met. He loves to be around people which is why Geno takes Max to work with him. 

“Come on,” he says to Max, petting his head and rubbing his ears. “Let’s go to bed and you can jump all over your other daddy.”

Of course Max doesn’t understand him but he runs up the stairs ahead of Sid and the groan from Geno tells Sid that Max hasn’t wasted any time leaping on the bed.

“Worst boyfriend,” Geno moans as Sid climbs back into bed, Max now having settled himself on top of Geno’s feet. 

Sid smiles and presses a kiss to Geno’s cheek. 

“You love me.”

“Yes,” Geno agrees with a smile as he pulls Sid close. “I do.”

Geno falls back asleep immediately, with Max snoring on his feet and Sid’s kind of envious. It’ll take him a little while before he’s able to drift back off. 

As he’s lying there in the dark listening to Geno breathe and Max snore his phone vibrates with a text. Usually he’d ignore it but people don’t generally make a habit of texting him in the early hours and it might be important. 

It’s from an unknown number.

_You owe me a drink._

Sid frowns and taps out a reply. _I think you have the wrong number_

_No, I get this number from very reliable source, Sidney Crosby_

Before Sid has even finished reading another text comes through.

_And tell Zhenya he owes me a drink too. You can both take me out next time I’m in town_

A lightbulb goes off in Sid’s head

_Ovechkin??_

_Don’t think I’m going to go easy on you on the ice just because you’re dating my friend_

_I wouldn’t dream of it. And, I’m only going to say this once, but thank you._

_You’re welcome, Sidney Crosby_

Sid sets his phone back on the table and closes his eyes. Moments later he’s asleep, a smile on his face. 

The End!


End file.
